Gabriella Rossi and James Walker, graduates from Computation in Architecture

To join Odico as computational designers after two years at 'Computation in Architecture' has been a great opportunity to apply the knowledge and skillset acquired during the masters at KADK. 

We have had the opportunity to scale up our research to industrial proportions in one of the most cutting edge and rapidly growing architectural technology companies in Denmark.

Using skills in robot programming, computational design and problem solving that were developed at CITAstudio, our role at Odico involves the early stage development of architectural products that leverage robotic production.There is great potential for computational design combined with robotic production to facilitate architectural style and functionality in a way that was not previously possible. 

Our responsibilities include designing the robotic process of production and exploring the opportunities of this method, this involves the development of digital design workflows which rely on Grasshopper for Rhino and Python coding to connect pieces of software and hardware. 

Once the robotic process is conceptualised it must also be realised using RobotStudio, a piece of software which controls industrial robots and systems which is often used for large-scale manufacturing. We will test the process by fabricating large full-scale demonstrators to explore design possibilities and reveal possible architectural outcomes. 

The process is continuously evaluated and refined along with the interdisciplinary expertise present at Odico, exploring digital parameters and physical products, leading to implementation in full-scale architectural projects. Recent projects that implement Odico technology include Fjordenhus in Vejle by Olafur Eliasson and the Winton Gallery at the Science Museum in London by Zaha Hadid Architects.

For us as architects to understand construction in the context of robotic fabrication, we are required to get hands on and to engage with the materials and machines used to realise our buildings. With a deeper understanding of construction, you can find unexplored possibilities in material qualities, design expression and structural efficiency. We hope that if we can close the gap between design and production using computational methods and digital fabrication then it will create a more expressive and richer built environment.