Finalist – Mikayla Heesterman
Mikayla Heesterman, from Victoria University of Wellington, was a finalist in the 2018 NZIA Resene Student Design Awards for her project 'Complex robotic connections'.
Project description
A fascination with the structural and aesthetic qualities of traditional Japanese timber architecture led to a question: Why is there a lack of craftsmanship in contemporary architectural details? This project amalgamates traditional structural and aesthetic knowledge with computational software and robotic fabrication to revitalise the craft of interlocking structural joints. A range of complex interlocking timber connections utilises the advantages of the six-axis robotic arm, an innovative tool that, in the right hands, can allow a high level of craft. In the process of design and fabrication, the traditional role of master craftsperson is reinvigorated and modernised.
Citation
This project is an impressive demonstration of its author’s determination to reconcile cutting-edge robotic fabrication with the aesthetic appeal, crafted dexterity and seismic strength of traditional Japanese timber construction. God is in the details of a project that reveals an ingenious approach to problem solving, and which, in its material focus and subtle reference to Māori design, is very much of this place.
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