InterACT: Laboratory for Architecture, Crafts, Technology

The InterACT research project focuses on the use of computational design and manufacturing methods in the construction of self-build projects based on wooden structures. The goal is the interdisciplinary development and realization of a prototypical laboratory on the university campus in Cologne. At the intersection of craftsmanship and architecture, the project aims to generate, collect and share interdisciplinary knowledge. The InterACT Lab is intended to function as a hybrid learning and research space, uniting theory and practice. Moreover, the project should make the concept of networked learning and research visible beyond the academic boundaries. The entire development of the project has been set-up as a participative and collaborative learning process, involving students in the conceptual design, decision making and the production of the building components as well as in the assembly of the structure, using digital tools as a common base and connector throughout the process. The paper presents the didactic concept and discusses the findings of the various steps from the early design phase to the realization of a first prototype in scale 1:1.