Towards Human-Robot Co-Agency

The construction industry needs to urgently become more productive and sustainable. Automation is a common approach to increase efficiency. But this approach is challenged by a lack of qualified workers in the construction industry. This project at the intersection of architectural computing with social science addresses this challenge with a novel, AI-based method of human-robot collaboration that (1) replaces demands for human physical labor with demands for technical skills and that (2) engages workers by stimulating creativity and ensuring agency. Shifting from physical endurance to professional input and intellectual contributions opens construction to broader demographics that are otherwise excluded and allows them to contribute more meaningfully and with higher-value skills. The project integrates perspectives from feminist technoscience—a transdisciplinary field offering distinct ways of thinking about societies, technologies, bodies, power, and environments—to develop a HRC method that attracts skilled staff and supports skills and decision-making while considering uncertainties inherent in construction. Specifically, the project uses methods from experimental democracy to ensure a fair and responsible development process for the HRC method that engages a diverse set of potential users.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Prof. Dr. Cordula Kropp
Institute for Social Sciences (SOWI), University of Stuttgart
Prof. Achim Menges
Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart
Tenure-Track-Prof. Dr. Thomas Wortmann
Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart

RESEARCHER

Gili Ron
Department for Computing in Architecture (CA) Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart
The International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Intelligent Systems (IS) 
Amelie Schreck 
Institute for Social Sciences (SOWI), University of Stuttgart

"IRIS 3D: Reflecting Intelligent Systems for Diversity, Demography, and Democracy”, funded by the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of the State of Baden-Württemberg (Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Württemberg)

Ron, G., Wortmann, T., Kropp, C. & Menges, A. (2025). "Human-Robot Reconfigurations: Advancing Feminist Technoscience Perspectives for Human-Robot-Collaboration in Architecture and Construction". In: M. Kanaani (ed.), The Routledge Companion to Smart Design Thinking in Architecture & Urbanism For a Sustainable, Living Planet (pp. 669-679) . Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN: 978-1-032-46990-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003384113

Ron, G., Menges, A. & Wortmann, T. (2024). "Critical Collaboration: Reflecting on Power and Agency in Human-Robot-Collaboration in Architecture and Construction, for a Diverse and Democratic Practice". In: P. Eversmann, C. Gengnagel, J. Lienhard, M. Ramsgaard Thomsen & J. Wurm (eds.), DESIGN MODELLING SYMPOSIUM KASSEL 2024 – SCALABLE DISRUPTORS (re)new(able) materials and circular design and construction processes (p./pp. 191–204), August, Springer. ISBN: 978-3-031-68274-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68275-9

S. Sardari, S. Sevim, P. Zhang, G. Ron, S. Leder, A. Menges, and T. Wortmann.
42st Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe) Conference, 1, page 193-202. 42st Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe) Conference, eCAADe (Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe), (August 2024)
DOI: https://papers.cumincad.org/data/works/att/ecaade2024_420.pdf

Amstberg, F., Yang, X., Skoury, L., Ron, G., Kaiser, B., Souse Calepso, A., Sedlmair, M., Verl, A. W., Wortmann, T., Menges, A. (2023) Multi‐Akteur‐Fabrikation im Bauwesen: Co‐Design‐Methoden für eine anpassungsfähigere Vorfabrikation. Bautechnik 100(10). DOI: 10.1002/bate.202300070