Innovative CNC Timber Framing — Technology and Cultural Expression

Abstract

The design-build project for the outdoor theater roof structure at the UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest at Maple Ridge, British Columbia, explores technical, spatial, and cultural aspects of CNC wood fabrication. References for the project are technological innovation and formal expression of contemporary wood structures. The roof project illustrates how spatial concepts are informed by the logic of fabrication and methods of assembly. A reciprocal relationship between technology, space, and locale suggests that the introduction of new technology coincides with new spatial concepts. Innovative design in this project is defined as work that resonates at the intersection of the fields of technology, material science, manufacturing processes, and techniques of assembly that constitute the expanded context that projects need to engage. It is through collaborative design research on CNC wood fabrication technologies that common design and building practice is put into question, and boundaries are explored and expanded.