Prototyping for Architects

The first overview of the increasingly popular practice of uniting digital design and fabrication technologies with hands-on building techniques

Prototyping has always been an essential part of both the architect’s and the designer’s repertoire, and contemporary prototyping techniques are transforming the way they work in myriad exciting ways.

This book is a comprehensive, fully illustrated survey of the ways in which the latest prototyping technologies have become central to architectural design. It is divided into three main sections: an introduction that charts the rise of prototyping in design history, more specifically in architecture; an overview of techniques; and a survey section featuring
50 projects. A reference section includes a glossary of technical terms.

With a focus on the real-world use of prototypes by a wide range of established and cutting-edge practices, this is an information-rich and inspirational resource for architecture students, practising architects and anyone interested in the future of design

Mark Burry is professor and director of SIAL and founding director of RMIT’s Design Institute. He is currently using digital technology to help complete the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. Jane Burry is a research fellow at RMIT’s Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory (SIAL) in Melbourne. Their previous books include The New Mathematics of Architecture, also published by Thames & Hudson.