Britt Johnson / Bleecker Street Projects

Program:

Office building through three fabrication techniques

Role:

Designer

Image:

Filippo Bolognese

We all know what beautiful buildings look like – there just aren’t enough of them. Modern architecture lacksproportion, hierarchy, depth, and ornament because these qualities arelabor-intensive and costly, victims of Baumol’s cost disease. However, newtechnologies—such as robotic stone fabrication, large-scale metal printing, andautomated masonry—can reduce costs and make beauty competitive again. The realbarrier is coordination across architecture, engineering, economics, andtechnology. As both an architect and economist, I aim to integrate these fieldsto deliver cost-competitive, beautiful buildings.

For the full grant proposal, please click here.