d[Fab] Lab

1, Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States

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d[Fab] Lab

1, Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States

Firm

Dan Widlowski

YEAR

2009

When the lab opened in late 2008, the idea of digital fabrication was new to the student body at Cal Poly. The goal of the lab was to begin to promote a new design methodology through the use of current technology and close collaboration between students and teaching assistants.
In the Summer of 2009, we were given full freedom to design and build our own custom fixtures with the promotion of this new design culture in mind. The use of the CNC mill and laser cutter to design and fabricate the fixtures made two things possible. First, the process of making allowed us to gain valuable experience on the machines. Secondly, the permanent fixtures are now part of the pedagogy of the lab.
Within the short time the lab has been open, we have seen an increase in the use and interest in digital fabrication. This coupled with publications like affectiveEnvironments, (Aed Press, San Luis Obispo, 2010) has allowed Cal Poly Architecture to stay current within the contemporary discourse.