Princeton University

PRINCIPAL

Daniel Topping

TEAM

Francis Chua

Project Overview

The Living in association with NK Architects were commissioned by Princeton University for this project which is simple in form and sophisticated in function. A true “open source building,” the Embodied Computation Lab hosts research on the future of construction and computation. Just as biologists use an electron microscope to study organisms, architects will use this structure to study buildings. The modest shed-like form and rustic wood facade belie its function as a state-of-the-art classroom and workshop for research in advanced building technologies including automated construction, feedback systems, energy harnessing, and new wall and roof assemblies. The building incorporates sustainability and low-carbon features throughout. The façade, composed of over 900 salvaged scaffolding boards from New York City, utilized the use of custom algorithms trained to detect knots in wood—bringing the power of machine learning to the physical world. Supporting flexible open-source utilization and adaptability, a third of its framework extends out beyond the enclosed structure, providing researchers with the bones to build out their own wall assemblies at full scale. Another example of this approach is the configuration of the heating system: while the lab currently harvests waste heat from the neighboring chemistry building, it is installed with equipment and controls to allow alternate sources such as a geothermal well.

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