CNC Modeling
Synergies
The ILA researches synergies between teaching landscape architecture and using computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines as prototyping tools in the project development process
The focus of the course is not to turn students into proficient CAAD-CAM users but more to familiarize them with landscape design and the problematic of large-scale topographical interventions. Of all the prototyping tools available to the students at the school (3-axis mill, laser cutter, flatbed cutter, 3D printer), the mill allows for the best translation between idea and model in landscape design. The continuous exchange between paper/idea & the physical three-dimensional output and the ability to shape and refine continuously the model allow for a much better apprehension of the problematic at stake.
Process
Throughout the semester students are asked to produce a number of CNC models. They develop an initial topographical concept in modeling software which is then milled onto a foam block. This prototype evolves in a constant exchange between scales and iterations of a project, becoming more detailed and refined. The resulting models are often closer to the students’ initial topographical idea than the drawings themselves. Formal concepts such as oscillating, folding, compression are easier to represent three-dimensionally than graphically
Furthermore, students are also pushed to experiment with different materials and modes of expression, working with plaster, wood and both in section and plan. The result is a series of models or evolutions, documenting the project idea as it has evolved from the initial concept to the final project.