Architecture is the art of building. A few schools advocate “teaching through experimentation”, in other words “through construction”. Is this choice appropriate? It could be. From Zurich to Talca, taking in Grenoble and Valparaiso, we step into a world of pragmatism. Schools endeavour to develop new ways of teaching. The sudden emergence of technology has encouraged many of them to discard space-occupying drawing tables in favour of powerful computers, but also a few clever machines. The ETH in Zurich, for example, prides itself on its various robots, which the students manipulate endlessly. The training at the Gramazio Kohler “Architecture and digital fabrication” chair is forward looking. They focus on “sustainable” building, through “digital design and implementation”.

An article by Jean Philippe Hugron

Read the full article in AA’s issue 420, September 2017.