Protomoment

It has been stated that contemporary architectural production has been, due to access to new software and hardware, and digital fabrication equipment, opened to direct engagement with physical experimentation. This paper makes a claim that a rise in open-ended, physical experimentation is part of a larger, inter-disciplinary moment that can be characterized by the “prototype.” In this essay, the term prototype is defined and its present disciplinary prominence is traced historically through three pioneering strands initiated in the twentieth century: the “manufacturing prototype,” the “technical prototype”, and the “material prototype.” Lastly, this essay offers a recent project designed by the authors as a case study of how the historical strands influence situate contemporary architectural prototype ideation, design, and production.

Volume Editors
David Ruy & Lola Sheppard

ISBN
978-0-935502-95-4