Material evidence in a digital context: exploring the tectonic potentials of concrete

In the pursuit of new physical and culturally responsive building elements, architects work primarily with digital parametric design tools used in conjunction with scale models. These models need to find their architectural potentials not only in geometric, aesthetic, and tactile qualities, but also in the restrictions within an industrial production line.
This article presents a method of experimentation with precast concrete, where prototyping using technologies suitable for industrial production provide the parameters for a parallel process of digital form-finding. The method takes its starting point in the term Tectonics, understood as a means of combining process and goal, in order to read the potentials of a technology and a material (Frampton, 2001). Informed by theories of technology (Heidegger, Kieran/Timberlake, 2003), practices that combines physical and digital means (Leach et al. 2003), and considerations of the sustainability of resources (Cradle to Cradle: McDohnoug & Braungart 2002) as a basis for addressing the relationship between material and technology. The paper argues that this method can support the development of unique architectural elements that challenge the prevailing imperative for standardization while fitting into an industrial production logic.