Self-Detailing and Self-Documenting Systems for Wood Fabrication: The Burj Khalifa

Abstract

This paper tracks the design, fabrication and installation of a complex wood ceiling in the Burj Khalifa office lobby in Dubai, UAE. Self-detailing and selfdocumenting systems are here understood as the use of parametric tools to capture and reuse design and fabrication know-how. This approach seeks not to supplant the designer or fabricator’s skills, but to create a shared platform for material innovation open to all the participants in the design team. By treating the production and detailing of this case study project as a system instead of a discreet design object, the authors also seek to illustrate the changing role of computational design tools and the implications for the practices of detail design and fabrication.

Case studies are given on the usage of the CATIA/Digital Project Knowledgeware environment to capture design intent and fabrication details in a system that allows them to adapt to new geometric configurations given different inputs; material bending limits and systems used to describe and map their physical constraints; automated tools built around the sorting and managing of wood veneers; and rationalization strategies related to wood bending and fabrication.