How to Dress a Column (2022-07)¶

The development of paste-based additive manufacturing processes between craft and industrial practice has meant that ceramic systems in architecture have seen great development in recent years. 3D print technology and advanced computational design spaces have allowed architects to rethink the formation of this highly plastic material free from the constraints of formwork and moulds. What has been partially lost through various digital evolutions and revolutions are some of the more traditional design principles and methods that may contribute to equally innovative ways to design using these materials and fabrication technologies. Taking a research by design approach, this paper presents a hybrid method for designing with 3D printed clay that combines craft-based and theoretical ways of thinking with simple computational procedures. The method is described through the design and fabrication of an experimental ceramic cladding system for structural steel that allows the architect to consider how to dress a column with clay.