Urbano Gutierrez, R., Quan, D., Lombardi, D., Herr, C., 2025.

User Perspectives on a Fabrication-Informed Design Workflow for Non-Standard Façade Elements with 3D-Printed Formwork

This paper introduces a pedagogical and practical design-oriented fabrication-in-
formed workflow that holistically investigates user experiences within parametric
co-rationalisation, emphasising fabrication-informed exploration and early-stage
integration of design and making constraints. The workflow targets non-standard
façade elements using ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC)
and 3D-printed formwork (3DPF), integrating parametric modelling and fabrica-
tion constraints to facilitate informed design decisions. Experienced computational
architectural designers then tested and validated the workflow's usability and ef-
fectiveness. The analysis of their design processes and the follow-up interviews
reveal how users negotiated trade-offs between geometric complexity and fabrica-
tion feasibility, highlighting shifts in constraint prioritisation. The findings are con-
sistent with prior work on co-rationalisation and early-stage fabrication-informed
modelling, but extend them by capturing user-led constraint-driven decisions within
parametric settings. This study incorporates user perspectives to enhance adapt-
ability and constraint integration, resulting in a validated and accessible workflow
that supports material-informed design education and early-stage fabrication-aware
exploration.