معرفی
Joshua D. Bard is an Associate Professor in the School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University, conducting applied research at the intersection of construction culture and robotic technology. His work interrogates traditional design binaries (industry/craft, machine/hand, virtual/physical space) to integrate historical craft logics with contemporary digital tools.
His educational background includes an M.Arch with distinction from the University of Michigan, where he served as faculty and Director of Taubman College’s Digital Fabrication Laboratory, and a BA in Literature and Philosophy from Wheaton College.
Bard's research focuses on human-machine collaboration in high-skill building trades through augmented design systems combining human expertise, algorithmic translation, and robotic automation. Key areas include recovering historical plaster techniques via robotics (Morphfaux), parametric steam bending (Spring Back), and mixed-reality applications for architectural heritage (Plaster ReCast), all emphasizing material craft in digital workflows.
His scientific awards include:
- Architect Magazine’s R+D Award
- Unbuilt Architecture Citation from the Boston Society of Architects
- Merit Award from the Canadian Wood Council
As founding partner of Archolab, Bard leads interdisciplinary collaborations with roboticists, computer scientists, historians, and tradespeople. His projects receive support from the Manufacturing Futures Initiative, Manufacturing PA Innovation Program, TAKTL, Carnegie Museum of Art, and CMU Entertainment Technology Center. He teaches undergraduate/graduate studios and seminars in robotic fabrication while directing research on adaptive fabrication workflows and material computation.
Current initiatives explore sensor-based robotic systems that leverage material constraints (e.g., wood grain irregularities in steam bending) to create responsive fabrication processes, positioning architecture as a proto-virtual interface through historical precedent.
