Emerging Fields – Oliver Schürer: Humanoid Robots in Architecture

Welcome to our episode of Spaceuriosity. As part of the module Emerging Fields in Architecture, we wanted to know about Humanoid Robots in Architecture and Urban Spaces. For it, we chose architect Oliver Schürer who is researcher, curator, editor and author as well as Senior Scientist and Deputy head at the Department for Architecture Theory and Philosophy of Technics, TU Wien. Since 2008 he conducts experimental projects in the arts, as he develops theory by interlinking architecture, art, engineering and humanities intensely. In 2014 he founded the transdisciplinary group H.A.U.S., researching “Humanoid robots in Architecture and Urban Spaces.”

We broadcast a recording of the interview with Oliver Schürer. The conversation took place in the frame of the course Emerging Fields in Architecture, TU Wien (WS 2023/24). We were investigating about how the technology is currently involved in architectural spaces. For this series we asked Oliver about the following issues: what do they do in their research group or how do they get involved in this topic, we also asked him about wich were the main goals they wanted to achieve with the robot and the callengings that they have been facing. We also wanted to know the relation that it has with the architecture or even how the artificial intelligence has been part of their achievements. We finalised asking about the ethical crossover between humans and machines.

María Trives and Concepción Muro conducted the interview and produced this broadcast as part of the course Emerging Fields in Architecture at the TU Wien.

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Architects play a crucial role in shaping our future. Through their concepts and designs, they initiate spatial, social, and technological innovations that can have far-reaching impacts on our coexistence. How we will live in the future is a complex question that engages researchers, creatives, and experts from various disciplines. As part of the „Emerging Fields in Architecture“ module at TU Wien, Hochbau 2, numerous experts were interviewed on this topic during the winter semester of 2023/2024. Concrete as well as far-reaching proposals were discussed, and multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary strategies were developed to address current and future design challenges in the context of social change. Architecture has a crucial role to play in addressing global challenges such as climate change and demographic change. Therefore, it is essential that architects have a broad understanding of sustainability, technology, and social issues and incorporate them into their designs. By pursuing an interdisciplinary approach, architects can contribute to shaping a sustainable and future-proof world in which we can all live.

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