The Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI), through its Performative Architecture Computation Research Lab (PAR-Lab), successfully organized Robotic Fabrication Workshop Vol. 03, entitled “In-Situ Lithic Nodes: 3D Scanning and Robotic Printing on Organic Topology,” also presented under the theme “Architectural Robotics in Practice: From Discrete Modular Assembly to Additive Clay Extrusion,” from 20 to 24 July 2026.
The five-day workshop was held at the Seminar Room on the first floor of the Department of Architecture Building, Universitas Indonesia, Depok Campus, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (WIB). The event was supported by PT Surya Sarana Dinamika and PT Nindya Karya as sponsors, with the Jakarta Chapter of the Indonesian Institute of Architects (IAI Jakarta) serving as the media partner. The workshop officially opened with welcoming remarks from the Head of the Department of Architecture, the workshop coordinator, and representatives of the partner organizations.
The workshop introduced participants to a semi-automated design-to-fabrication workflow utilizing an ABB robotic arm equipped with an Intel RealSense depth camera and a WASP Geometric Bridge system. Using Rhino 8 and Grasshopper, participants learned to operate the robotic arm and develop robotic fabrication workflows, beginning with printing on planar surfaces before progressing to non-planar organic surfaces such as natural stone.
In the advanced sessions, participants scanned stone substrates, generated adaptive toolpaths, and robotically printed thin clay formwork that precisely followed the contours of natural rocks, creating wave-like geometries integrated with the substrate. The printed clay formwork was subsequently cast with a secondary hardening material to produce an integrated lithic node. In addition to clay extrusion, participants explored discrete modular assembly using the Wasp plugin, including robotic pick-and-place operations, dipping processes, and precise coordinate-based assembly.
The workshop was structured over five consecutive days. The first day introduced participants to the overall fabrication workflow, robotic safety procedures, and initial printing simulations. On the second day, participants focused on modular aggregation techniques using Wasp. The third day covered the fundamentals of robotic 3D printing, including slicing logic, extrusion rates, and clay material viscosity. The fourth day was dedicated to finalizing design models, simulating toolpaths, and initiating full-scale fabrication, with an optional session introducing Fanuc industrial robots for modular assembly applications. The workshop concluded on the fifth day with final production, post-processing activities, participant presentations, and the official closing ceremony.
The workshop was led by three instructors specializing in robotic fabrication and computational design. Celso Urroz, a researcher at the Environmental Design and Natural Materials Lab, Florida Atlantic University, shared his expertise in developing open-source design-to-fabrication workflows integrating sensing technologies, material intelligence, and robotic control systems. Miktha Farid Alkadri, Assistant Professor and Head of PAR-Lab at Universitas Indonesia, facilitated the integration of architectural theory with advanced engineering through computational design and emerging building technologies. Heidy Sekardini, a Research Assistant at PAR-Lab who will pursue postgraduate studies at The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London (UCL), supported the workshop with research expertise in bio-based materials and ecological integration in robotic construction.
Limited to a maximum of 20 participants, the workshop welcomed both university students—who attended free of charge—and professionals through a paid registration scheme. All participants received a robotic fabrication module and an internationally recognized certificate upon completion.
The support provided by the leadership of the Department of Architecture, FTUI, together with its sponsors and media partners, reflects a shared commitment to advancing research and innovation in digital fabrication within the academic community. Through Robotic Fabrication Workshop Vol. 03, PAR-Lab and the Department of Architecture, FTUI, aim to further strengthen interdisciplinary and interinstitutional collaboration in advancing research and innovation in architectural robotics.
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Public Communications Office
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia
