INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN BIM AND ROBOTIC FABRICATION PROCESSES: A CASE STUDY APPLIED TO GENERATIVE FACADE DESIGN
Synopsis
This paper investigates the interoperability between Building Information Modelling (BIM) environments and robotic fabrication (RF) workflows applied to generative 3D concrete printing. The study proposes a framework that starts with parametric modelling defined in a BIM environment, incorporates parametric code to structure and export metadata, and translates this information into robot code for extrusion-based fabrication. The workflow integrates geometry, dimensional parameters (height and width), volumetric data, and IFC metadata, automatically organizing and exporting them to ensure consistency between the digital model and the physical prototype. Two BIM-based export strategies were developed and compared through IFC, highlighting differences in geometric fidelity and data representation. The results indicate that, although BIM platforms present limitations in handling complex geometry, they remain effective for managing fabrication-related parameters. A scaled prototype was produced to validate the full process. The transition from full-scale geometry to a reduced-scale prototype required only minor adjustments to the base geometry, confirming the robustness of the workflow. Issues observed during fabrication were mainly related to extrusion speed, material plasticity, and design choices, rather than to interoperability. Overall, the study demonstrates that BIM workflows can be successfully integrated with RF when geometric complexity and metadata interoperability are properly managed.
