Life of Clay by Guan Lee

CHAPTER TITLE Bartlett Design Research Folios

Guan Lee Life of Clay

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GUAN LEE

LIFE OF CLAY

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BARTLETT DESIGN RESEARCH FOLIOS

Guan Lee Life of Clay

CONTENTS

1 (previous) Ceramic objects in the Grymsdyke Farm workshop.

2 Dip glazing at a ceramic factory in Hasami, Japan.

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Project Details

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Statement about the Research Content and Process

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Introduction

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Aims and Objectives

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Questions

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Context

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Methodology

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Dissemination

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Project Highlights

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Bibliography

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Related Publications

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Project Details Author

Guan Lee

Title

Life of Clay

Output Type

Design and permanent installation

Co-Researchers

Eleanor Morgan and Daniel Widrig

Projects and Dates

Ceramica (2015) X Bricks (2015) Breezeblocks (2016) Clay Domes (2016) CNC Mould for Slip Casting (2016) Clay Spaghetti (2017) V&A Tiles and Pots (2018) Crackle Screen (2019) Soft Developables (2019)

Collaborators

Adam Holloway, Daniel Widrig (Crackle Screen); Adrian Friend, Adam Holloway, Daniel Widrig (V&A); Michelle Shields, Heleen Sintobin (Soft Developables); Glithero (Clay Spaghetti); Adam Holloway, Vicente Soler (Breezeblocks); Vicente Soler (X Bricks); Peter Webb (CNC Mould)

Commissioners

RIBA, Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)

Budget

£100,000

Funders Grymsdyke Farm; RIBA; The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL; V&A Software Developer

Adam Holloway and Vicente Soler (Grasshopper plugin: Robots)

Specialist Consultants Michael Farley, Buckinghamshire County Archaeologist; Alexis Harrison, Arup; Jessie Lee, ceramicist; Richard Miller, Froyle Tiles; Rebecca Reid, heritage builder; Jon Wilson, Darwen Terracotta and Faience Fabrication

Froyle Tiles, Grymsdyke Farm (V&A)

Installation

Umdash (V&A)

Tile Testing

Lucideon (V&A)

PROJECT DETAILS

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3 A series of new clay mixtures were developed and experimented with for Soft Developables, 2019.

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Statement about the Research Content and Process Description

Methodology

This body of research investigates methods of robotic extrusion with wet clay, and explores the use of clay, along with its geological and cultural context. Whereas robotic manufacturing has been used extensively in the production of small-scale objects, Life of Clay is the first project to advance and apply clay robotics in the fabrication of architectural elements for buildings.

1. Interdisciplinary engagement with architects, manufacturers, historians, craftspeople, ceramicists and artists; 2. Research trips to visit specialist local workshops, archives and clay experts in ceramic production areas in the UK, Europe, Japan and China;

Questions

3. Working with the material directly through trial and error and empirical experimentation;

1. What are the benefits of using a digitally controlled technology in the production of architectural ceramics?

4. Combining digital programming for clay extrusion with manual practices for assembling and glazing.

2. Given clay’s site specificity, what are the implications of its use in local industry and craft, particularly in terms of shaping local design identities?

Dissemination

The research culminated in the making of a permanent floor area at the V&A, visited by 4.2 million people annually. It has been the subject of two solo exhibitions (RIBA, London, and The Architecture Centre, Bristol), three group exhibitions in the UK, a one-year touring exhibition in Europe, several online articles, three exclusive review articles, one refereed journal article and seven lectures/ conference participations.

3. How can traditional methods for making ceramic items, including the use of moulds, inform clay robotics in the production of unlimited and unique elements?

4. What is the correct ‘clay body’? How can it be controlled? What is a suitable design language to print robotically with it?

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STATEMENT ABOUT THE RESEARCH CONTENT AND PROCESS

Project Highlights

Life of Clay won the RIBA Research Trust Award 2014 and realised a permanent architectural intervention at the V&A. Life of Clay: Experimental Practice at Grymsdyke Farm at The Architecture Centre in Bristol was named by The Guardian as one of the best exhibitions in the UK in 2017.

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Introduction

a clay modeller, performing identical movements repeatedly without variation.

Life of Clay explores how a traditional low-impact building practice can be sustainably adapted in line with technological developments. Specifically, it builds collaborations with experienced clay practitioners and researchers, combining traditional building expertise with robotic printing technology at three interconnected scales: the material, domestic and architectural. Experiments at Grymsdyke Farm using 3D-printed clay, such as X Bricks, suggest that the use of robotic technology can develop efficient designs and structures that require less material. Through Life of Clay, the methods of interaction between human and robotic construction are further advanced and an innovative approach is developed in which precision robotic dispensers reinvigorate the use of local clay.

As ceramic production around the UK is changing, research activities have gathered pace regarding how clay can be 3D printed.

In recent years there has been a renewed interest in ceramic as a material, sparked by the potential of digital technology to provide new methods for design and manufacture, including computational processes, digital modelling and 3D scanning.

The research for Life of Clay focused on three areas: the geology and history of clay use in the vicinity of Guan Lee’s research facility and fabrication workshop, Grymsdyke Farm in Buckinghamshire; the practical challenges of using 3D printing with local clay; and the development of new forms that combine traditional and digital technologies.

The project engaged not only with architects but also manufacturers, ceramicists, historians, craftspeople and artists, inviting them to explore 3D-printing machinery and technology. It culminated in the production of tiles for the V&A, the first 3D-printed ceramic elements used in an architectural project.

Clay is not a generic substance with specific properties but is site-specific. As a raw material it can be used with different moisture contents, from dry powder to pourable liquid slip. 3D printing with clay requires a specific amount of moisture to ease extrusion and to adhere layers. It is different to traditional casting with regards to reproducibility, cost and speed; 3D printing is more economical as casting uses a mould that has a limited number of uses, however, the traditional casting process is significantly faster. Clay ‘building’ or ‘coiling’ is the simplest technique to make ceramic objects.

3D printing with clay is essentially coiling with a digitally controlled mechanism, which can be programmed to move like the hand of

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INTRODUCTION

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4 Soft Developables, 2019.

Robotic arm guiding the clay modelling process.

5 Breezeblocks, 2016, being assembled by hand.

6 Six-part plaster cast from digitally modelled Computer Numerical Control (CNC) moulds, instead of a traditional piece mould taken from the positive. The keys are designed with specific symmetry planes to avoid undercuts for CNC milling and eventual slip casting.

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Aims and Objectives

Questions

Working with clay has historically been practiced in craft-based studios and industrial-scale factories. This project examines how the two practices can inform each other in a place-specific facility that enables manual and robotic experimentation with locally sourced clay. Geology and technology together form a powerful base for design research. Specific objectives include:

1. What are the benefits of using a digitally controlled technology in the production of architectural ceramics?

The use of digitally controlled technology in the production of architectural ceramics is commonplace for casting, extrusions and glazing, however, we have not yet exhausted its potential. 3D printing with clay using a robotic arm can contribute and define a new formal vocabulary in architecture.

With the help of digital tools, production capabilities are accessed that typically require long periods of training and practice.

Over the past ten years, 3D printing has become a popular topic of research in architecture, examining not only how to print but also material capabilities. Clay is an obvious choice in this context: it is culturally significant, naturally abundant, traditionally commonplace, physically robust and an undoubtedly sustainable material. This research explores how printed ceramics can be applied to architecture in ways that conventional treatments of clay cannot.

1. Create a 3D-printing system for the production of ceramic components in an architectural context; 2. Devise a technique to produce reconfigurable moulds and unlimited unique architectural elements, rather than repetitive products by traditional moulds; 3. Find the correct ‘clay body’ to enable 3D printing.

2. Given clay’s site-specificity, what are the implications of its use in local industry and craft, particularly in terms of shaping local design identities?

Working with clay that is extracted from the ground has unavoidable consequences on the natural environment and its inhabitants.

Most ceramic industries are located near extraction sites, enhancing the role manufacturers have upon communities living and working nearby. Life of Clay examines how combining local clay properties with production methodologies allows for site-specific design languages to evolve.

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AIMS AND OBJECTIVES / QUESTIONS

3. How can traditional methods for making ceramic items, including the use of moulds, inform clay robotics in the production of unlimited and unique elements?

Handling and working with clay requires extensive testing and often can only prove viable through trial and error. The most efficient way to learn about specific clay properties is by researching what has been done traditionally and historically. 3D printing with clay requires an understanding, not only of how to shape the material but also of the various behaviours manifested at different stages of its production.

4. What is the correct ‘clay body’? How can it be controlled? What is a suitable design language to print robotically with it?

Clay has different qualities depending on its mineral composition. ‘Clay body’ is the term commonly used to describe the behavioural properties of a mixture before and after firing.

Mechanically working with clay requires an in-depth understanding of the material’s composition and versatility across all its phases of transformation until it integrates into architecture. A clay object that has been successfully 3D printed is not the final product: drying, bisque firing, glazing and glaze firing are some of the processes that can affect the final outcome, and all of these processes are interrelated. Understanding and designing the ‘clay body’ is critical.

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7 Due to a combination of high viscosity and the sticky nature of the clay, the 3D-printing process requires periodic human intervention to avoid the clay extrusions deviating from their tool paths.

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Even though the roboticcontrolled tool paths are precise and reliable, excess clay can locally distort the outcome of the extrusion itself, affecting the overall 3D-printing build.

QUESTIONS

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8 Diagram of the clay 3D-printing system at Grymsdyke Farm, which connects the six-axis KUKA industrial robotic arm with a ViscoTec high-precision dosing pump based on an endless-piston principle.

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9 Chalfont clay, local to Buckinghamshire, can be used for brick making directly after extraction from the ground.

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CONTEXT

Context

on life cycles of materiality and not at the expense of simplistic efficiency. In addition to the ecological advantages, the use of local site-specific materials improves a sense of community and the local economy: ‘taking an eco-effective approach to design might result in an innovation so extreme that it resembles nothing we know’ (Braungart and McDonough 2009).

Life of Clay argues that using locally available material to construct our environment is not only economical and practical but is also of cultural and environmental significance. The project was set up in dialogue with Raymond Williams’ intricate understanding of industry, art and culture in his influential book Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society (Williams 1976). He puts ‘culture’ into a wider context, beyond references to the mere physicality of our activities; in this case, making with clay.

Williams understood ‘culture’ as more of a process than a product. The aim therefore was to engage with the ground in a sustained manner; clay that is extracted marks the beginning of a journey and how it is transformed over time should be considerate, i.e. it should contribute positively to our wider context and not harm the environment that it is taken from.

The clay beds surrounding Grymsdyke Farm were a major source of brick production in England for almost a century, with the last large-scale brickworks closing in the early 1990s, affecting both the local culture and economy of the region. The current growth in demand for clay building materials, combined with the lengthy transportation necessary between brick factories and building sites, suggests that a reconsideration of the sustainable potential of returning to the use of local materials is vital (9).

This project is situated in the context of the declining use of clay in local industries and the emergence of new digital processes, with a specific focus on the area around Grymsdyke Farm in Buckinghamshire. In 2014, there was only one remaining brick factory still in production – HG Matthews – albeit reduced in scale. The same year, Shaws of Darwen shut its less-profitable branch of architectural ceramics to concentrate solely on sink making, and subsequently re-established itself as Darwen Terracotta and Faience. Life of Clay engages with both companies in an attempt to find ways to invigorate collaborative clay research and practice.

Life of Clay stems from a longstanding interest in manufacturing industry and place.

From the outset, the project was influenced

by German architectural professor Gernot Minke’s writing on building with earth. Minke champions clay as a particularly sustainable building material and an abundant resource that can be easily extracted and reused.

Production with clay also has a low environmental impact, especially when the material is locally sourced. Minke has highlighted direct engagement in processes of making as a critical dimension of research in architecture: ‘no theoretical treatise can substitute for the experience of actually building with earth’ (Minke 2006).

Another key reference is the work of German chemist Michael Braungart and American architect William McDonough.

The pair’s research on the idea of a circular economy was outlined in their seminal text Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (2009). Braungart and McDonough consider a human-built world that is sustainable, and carefully interrogate why and how we make in the first instance. They propose that evaluation should be based

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Methodology

feedback was the importance of allowing participants to use equipment incorrectly.

For example, the potter’s wheel is not just a machine to make pots, it is a platform that rotates and as such can be used in different ways, i.e. to make carved sculptures. This ‘wrong’ way of using equipment is a vital part of creating new possibilities when working between different clay technologies. The Eastside Projects workshop was the catalyst for a number of ceramic projects, including Clay Spaghetti with Glithero (10-1).

1. Interdisciplinary engagement with architects, manufacturers, historians, craftspeople, ceramicists and artists

Grymsdyke Farm is a communal working space, where researchers and students are able to stay for long periods and use workshop facilities that are not restricted by discipline or process; for example, they can move easily between a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine and a potter’s wheel. Within this communal environment, learning and research methods were developed collaboratively and across disciplines in various projects carried out over five years. The hypothesis was that this approach would enrich clay practices, invite local input and broaden the relevance of the project to other researchers and makers.

We designed a three-day ceramics workshop at the farm in February 2015 for ten artists from Eastside Projects in Birmingham – an artist-run gallery and studio space – to work with architecture students, heritage builder Rebecca Reid, and local ceramicist Jessie Lee. The artists were provided with images and information on local archaeological finds and the history of clay use, sourced in discussion with former Buckinghamshire County Archaeologist Michael Farley.

Collaboration was encouraged by asking participants to bring their own objects and images to work from and identify crossovers in their research interests using digital and traditional clay processes.

The workshop began with the opportunity to learn specific techniques. Gradually, participants were encouraged to work together with technical support. One of the key findings of this workshop and

10 Clay Spaghetti, 2017.

Different shaped nozzles were attached to the robotic clay extruder to experiment with form.

11 Clay Spaghetti, 2017, after the first firing.

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METHODOLOGY

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2. Research trips to visit specialist local workshops, archives and clay experts in ceramic production areas in the UK, Europe, Japan and China

Understanding local geology, history and culture is an important part of learning why particular manufacturing industry existed or is still in operation today.

This research focused specifically on the area around Grymsdyke Farm in Buckinghamshire, where the majority of the fabrication was carried out, as well as other sites internationally including: · Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, Paris: one of the most highly regarded porcelain fabricators in the world (15, 22–3); · Sanbao International Ceramic Art Institute, Jingdezhen: a Chinese cultural institution promoting the city’s history of ceramic art over more than two millennia (14, 20–1, 24–6); · Suzhou Imperial Kiln: making tiles since the Ming Dynasty (12, 27); · Ceràmica Cumella, Barcelona: a family-run factory making architectural ceramics for complex restoration and innovative projects since the 1980s (18–9); · Hasami, Japan: a town well-known for its ceramic manufacturing. Many contemporary designers have set up here precisely because of the town’s history (16–7).

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12 One of the few remaining imperial kilns in Suzhou, China.

13 Glaze Library at the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, Paris.

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METHODOLOGY

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14 Small-scale ceramic production in Jingdezhen, China.

15 Modelling station at the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, Paris.

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16–7 Japanese mould makers in Hasami, Japan.

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18 Display of ceramic pieces at Ceràmica Cumella, Barcelona.

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METHODOLOGY

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19 Prototypes by Antoni Cumella at Ceràmica Cumella, Barcelona.

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20 Hand coiling of large ceramic pots in Jingdezhen, China.

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METHODOLOGY

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21 Throwing of a large ceramic pot in Jingdezhen.

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22 A handmade plaster piece mould at the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, Paris.

23 A craftsman working on a porcelain bowl at the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, Paris.

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METHODOLOGY

24 A section of a large ceramic pot being made in Jingdezhen, China.

26 Carving decorative ceramic surfaces by hand in Jingdezhen.

25 Hand painting a ceramic pot in Jingdezhen.

27 Ceramic roof tiles in Suzhou, China.

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3. Working with the material directly through trial and error and empirical experimentation

such as grinding, sieving, mixing, adding water, drying and weathering. The structural limitations of wet clay were explored by the artists from Eastside Projects who experimented with a robotic clay extruder, changing the direction and geometry of the output using different nozzle designs. These experiments included 3D printing a nozzle in the shape of a shard of Medieval pottery found near the farm, through which clay was extruded until the column collapsed. The extruder was also used to produce modular units.

The Eastside Projects artists discovered that there is a height limit to which a build can go using a robotic clay extruder, due to the weight of wet clay and extrusion time. Inconsistencies in pressure meant that the extruder would stop and start, which affected the accuracy of the repeating layers and overall structure of the object created. Although this can be classified as a structural failure, the experiments successfully produced novel forms using robotic technologies.

Clay forms in all of the projects were made using the following: · Traditional processes, such as casting and throwing, using local clay; · Moulds made from original casts formed on the CNC machine; · Employment of a robotic clay extruder; · Combined use of CNC casts and formwork with the robotic clay extruder.

These forms included sample experiments in extrusion processes, cast domestic ware, 3D-printed tiles, screens constructed from interlocking cast units, experimental breezeblocks and two domes made from unique 3D-printed tiles. Each process and form had particular challenges and discoveries.

Limitations Clay is a naturally occurring material which is widely distributed. Whilst the base chemical composition of clay bodies from different sources and suppliers is similar – a mixture of alumina, silica and water – they may have significantly different properties and therefore require trial-anderror experimentation when used in production. These properties include: naturally occurring solid particles such as flint, chalk and iron; additional solid particles of pre-fired clay (grog); fineness and evenness of the clay particles; inclusion of other minerals and oxides in trace quantities, such as feldspar and potassium; and the plasticity of the material, before and after processing.

To ensure consistency and workability, clay is processed using a range of methods

Findings A clay body suitable to be pumped and extruded, and sufficiently stable to produce a large component, is constrained by: · Specific gravity – targeted at around SG 1.8 – was used as a proxy for viscosity, as it is largely a measure of the water content of the clay; · Solid particles in the clay body should be able to pass through a mesh size grade of between 100 and 180. Solid particles larger than this would damage the pump, requiring expensive repairs; · For improved stability during drying and firing, the clay body should include an element of finely ground solid particles,

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METHODOLOGY

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e.g. by firing low-iron kaolin to a very high temperature, but the proportion of molochite should not exceed 20% by weight; The clay body should withstand a firing temperature of not less than 1200°C (high-fired). After firing, low-fired clay bodies are less stable and durable than those that are high-fired; Colour should be white to maximise options for glazing; Shrinkage should be minimal, preferably no more than 15% overall; The clay body should be workable, with minimal cracking during drying and warping during firing.

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28 Breezeblocks, 2016.

Expandable clay mixtures in draping configurations during the firing process.

29–30 Sample expandable clay mixtures after firing.

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31 Soft Developables, 2019. Trial-and-error experimentation with clay composition.

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METHODOLOGY

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32 Soft Developables, 2019.

Robotically engraved clay sheets interact with inlaid expandable clay beads.

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4. Combining digital programming for clay extrusion with manual techniques for assembling and glazing

Ceramica, 2015 Ceramica considers the limitations of 3D printing with clay as a key design parameter (33). One such limitation is the weight of the clay. A programming solution was introduced to automate the subdivision of each build into archivable chunks, which were then air dried in a plastic tent to encourage even drying.

When the sections were sufficiently stiff, they were manually joined together using slip from the same clay body (35). Even though the 3D-printed geometries were complex, it was still possible to make secure joints with the slip. It was, however, difficult to successfully seal all of the joining pieces, as the gap was in places too narrow to insert a tool or access by hand. As a compromise, a coating of decorative white slip was applied to the surface using a spray gun. This created a more even outer surface and helped to minimise cracks, allowing for smoother glaze application. Prior to glazing, this decorative finish was tested with the clay body to make sure that they would successfully combine. Two white slips for surface application were tested. One was a commercial slip from Potclays and the other was made up from raw materials using the following recipe: 20% Kaolin, 20% Ball Clay, 20% Feldspar, 20% Flint, 5% Zirconium, 10% Bentonite and 5% Borax. Both slips fitted the body of the clay. At the bisque stage (1000°C) both appeared white. The Potclays slip was eventually selected as the other looked slightly yellow.

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33 Ceramica, 2015.

Chunks being printed.

34 Ceramica, 2015. After manual assembly of the 3D-printed chunks.

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METHODOLOGY

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35 Ceramica, 2015.

Touching up after manual assembly.

36 Breezeblocks, 2016.

Individual components were used for overall diversity and porosity when combined.

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Breezeblocks, 2016 Breezeblocks consolidated various researched techniques, including two digital processes: robotic clay extrusion and CNC milling. Each tile was made by coiling clay through the nozzle of the robotic extruder onto a cast plaster formwork (37). Because the robot was printing onto a curved surface, the six-axis robotic arm traced the top whilst extruding clay. The technique of using plaster moulds was borrowed from slip casting as it allowed the tile to be released easily (38).

The tiles were then assembled together and dried on a wooden scaffold designed on the CNC-milling machine (39–40). The form of the scaffold prevented the clay from cracking as it dried because it enabled it to shrink without restraint. The eight tiles were assembled into a block with slip and hand tools. By joining these pieces together – as they could not be 3D printed as a single object – height and overall geometry limitations were overcome. The relationship between the hand and the robot is not a limitation but is consistent with small-scale and local ceramic production.

37 Breezeblocks, 2016. 3D printing clay on a mould to make the individual parts.

38 Breezeblocks, 2016.

The parts are then air dried on the mould for three to four days before being removed.

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METHODOLOGY

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39 Breezeblocks, 2016.

The 3D-printed parts are then dried on a CNCmilled scaffold.

40 Breezeblocks, 2016.

The drying scaffolds were also used as jigs for manual assembly.

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41 Breezeblocks, 2016.

Finished components, painted and ready to be installed.

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Clay Domes, 2016 The robotic clay extrusion process for Clay Domes allowed for experimentation with different forms, inspired by traditional techniques and building components, such as a nineteenth-century ceramic screen from southern China. Different shaped nozzles were attached to the robot to change the size of the clay coils. These affected both the appearance and stability of the object.

Identical, unique or interlocking components were designed using 3D-modelling software to form larger intricate structures. A series of unique extruded clay tiles with saddleshaped surfaces curve in two directions. This shape is both strong and materially efficient.

The tiles are joined together to create two large domes, each 170 cm in diameter (42–4).

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42 Clay Domes, 2016.

Life of Clay, RIBA Practice Space.

43 Clay Domes, 2016, and Ceramica, 2015. Life of Clay, RIBA Practice Space.

44 Clay Domes, 2016, permanently installed at Grymsdyke Farm.

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METHODOLOGY

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METHODOLOGY

V&A Tiles and Pots, 2018 In 2018, the V&A commissioned Lee to create tiles for the floor area in its main shop. These had to be designed and made to be robust, slip resistant, geometrically consistent and, at the same time, all unique. Lee developed a way to 3D print each tile with a robotic arm.

Without the need for moulds, there was no need for repetition. Over a period of two years, this project pushed boundaries in ceramic production with digital tools to make a large-scale architectural installation. A few months after installation, the tiles were realised to be too difficult to maintain and a decision was made to remove them.

The V&A, willing to promote design innovation, commissioned Lee to rectify the issue and fabricate a new set of 2,500 tiles.

3D printing was combined with traditional casting in the second batch. The tiles had their moulds removed whilst they were still wet and multiple casts were taken at a greater rate and with more overall consistency. The timing of this process was critical as the clay tiles began to shrink as soon as they were reprinted. The project demonstrated the value of combining manual and robotic practices of clay for a successful outcome (45–53).

45 Experimenting with glaze-pouring techniques for the V&A tiles, 2018.

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46 Glaze test on a V&A tile.

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47 V&A tiles, 2018.

Circular tiles were designed to cover redundant ventilation pockets.

METHODOLOGY

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48 V&A tiles in production.

49 Tile design by Guastavino at the Avery Archive, Columbia University Libraries.

50 Extruded design on a V&A tile, 2018.

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51 The V&A tiles are designed with 16 unique patterns that can be configured in multiple ways.

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Dissemination

Lectures

Lee has spoken about the project at seven UK lectures and conferences: · Central Saint Martins, London (2020) · Stoke Architecture Day (2017) · The Architecture Centre, Bristol (2017) · Make Lewes Festival (2016) · RIBA, London (2016) · The University of Edinburgh (2015) · University of Brighton (2014)

Permanent Installation

This research led to the materialisation of a permanent floor area in the shop at the V&A, London.

Solo Exhibition

The solo show Life of Clay: Experimental Practice at Grymsdyke Farm has been exhibited at RIBA, London (2016), and The Architecture Centre, Bristol (2017).

Publications

The project was published in an article by Guan Lee and Eleanor Morgan in the journal Research Based Education (2016) (see pp. 50–9).

It has been written about in a range of publications, online and print, including the Evening Standard (2017), Crafts Magazine (2019), The RIBA Journal (2016) and The Guardian (2014, 2017).

Group Exhibitions

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Building Centre, London (2019) Dutch Design Week, Amsterdam (2019) The Aram Gallery, London (2019) Embassy of Japan, London (2016) Touring exhibition to several locations in Europe (2015–16)

Workshop

A three-day ceramics workshop with ten artists from Eastside Projects, Birmingham, heritage builder Rebecca Reid, ceramicist Jessie Lee, and a group of architecture students was held at Grymsdyke Farm in February 2015.

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DISSEMINATION / PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS / BIBLIOGRAPHY

Project Highlights

Bibliography

Guan Lee’s research into the processes of 3D printing with clay started in 2014 and was one of the first to study the viability of this method in architectural production.

Subsequently, in the same year, it won the RIBA Research Trust Award. The solo show Life of Clay: Experimental Practice at Grymsdyke Farm at The Architecture Centre in Bristol was listed by The Guardian as one of the best exhibitions of 2017. Between 2017 and 2018, Lee realised a permanent architectural intervention at the V&A. This new and innovative process using 3D-printed clay had not been trialled at such a large scale before and features the first 3D-printed ceramic elements within an architectural fabric. Since opening to the public, it has been visited by 4.2 million people annually.

Braungart, M. and McDonough, W. (2009).

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. New York: Vintage Books.

Lee, G. and Morgan, E. (2016). ‘The Robot and the Swallow: Sustainable Practice in a Digital World’. Research Based Education 2016. 1. pp. 122–9.

Minke, G. (2006). Building with Earth: Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture. Basel: Birkhäuser.

Searle, A., Jones, J., Wainwright, O., and O’Hagan, S. (2017). ‘Great Exhibitions: 2017’s Best Art, Photography, Architecture and Design’. The Guardian. 7 January.

[Viewed 18 September 2019]. www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/ jan/07/best-art-photographyarchitecture-design-exhibitions-2017 Williams, R. (1976). Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society. Oxford University Press.

52 (overleaf) V&A tiles installed in the museum’s jewellery pavilion, 2018.

2,500 tiles were required, each measuring 23 cm2.

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53 V&A tiles, 2018. A staggered firing process resulted in a similar installation process.

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RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Related Publications by the Researchers Lee, G. and Morgan, E. (2016). ‘The Robot and the Swallow: Sustainable Practice in a Digital World’. Research Based Education 2016. 1. pp. 122–9.

Related Writings by Others Blake, E. (2020). ‘Free Range’. Crafts. March/April. pp. 26–35.

Buxton, P. (2016). ‘Feats of Clay’. The RIBA Journal.

15 November.

Gordon, K. (2017). ‘Museum of Contemporary Curiosities’.

Evening Standard. 3 May. p. 18.

Patel, R. (2019). ‘Clay Cities’. Crafts. November/December. pp. 28–33.

Searle, A., Jones, J., Wainwright, O. and O’Hagan, S. (2017).

‘Great Exhibitions: 2017’s Best Art, Photography, Architecture and Design’. The Guardian. 7 January.

Simpson, V. (2017). ‘Sales Pitch’. Blueprint. 355. pp. 132–44.

Wainwright, W. (2014). ‘Clay Robotics: The Future of Architecture is Happening Now in a Chilterns Farm’.

The Guardian. 8 August.

Printed article

Online article (clickable link)

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GUAN LEE

LIFE OF CLAY

Image Credits

Bartlett Design Research Folios

All images © Guan Lee.

ISSN 2753-9822 © 2022 The Bartlett School of Architecture. All rights reserved.

Text © the authors Founder of the series and lead editor: Yeoryia Manolopoulou Edited by Yeoryia Manolopoulou, Barbara Penner, Phoebe Adler Picture researcher: Sarah Bell Additional project management: Srijana Gurung Graphic design: Objectif Layout and typesetting: Siâron Hughes Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of the material reproduced in this publication. If there have been any omissions, we will be pleased to make appropriate acknowledgement in revised editions.

BARTLETT DESIGN RESEARCH FOLIOS

2022 SERIES

Design for Learning AY Architects

Poikilokydric Living Marcos Cruz

Life of Clay Guan Lee

Audialsense Paul Bavister

Warsaw Karowa Bridge DKFS Architects

Flood House Matthew Butcher

Photosynthetic Architecture ecoLogicStudio

Digital Manual Guan Lee, Daniel Widrig

Instruments Nine and Ten Nat Chard Coworking Spaces Izaskun Chinchilla Architects Organic Growth Pavilion Izaskun Chinchilla Architects TransDisciplinary PostDigital FrAgility Marjan Colletti + REX|LAB

Discrete Timber Architecture Gilles Retsin LA Futures Smout Allen

Kew House Tim Lucas

Infractus Smout Allen

Losing Myself Yeoryia Manolopoulou, Níall McLaughlin

A Register of User Adaptations Storp Weber Architects

Oxford Projects Níall McLaughlin Architects

Uncovering Casa Sperimentale Storp Weber Architects

High Street Regeneration Jan Kattein Architects

Funicular del Tibidabo Miàs Architects

Oxford North Jonathan Kendall

The Cloud Miàs Architects

Cork Construction Oliver Wilton, Matthew Barnett Howland

Hakka Cultural Park Christine Hawley, Abigail Ashton, Andrew Porter, Moyang Yang

Alga(e)zebo mam

55/02 sixteen*(makers)

Chong Qing Nan Lu Towers mam

Envirographic and Techno Natures Smout Allen

City of Ladies Penelope Haralambidou Discrete Methods for Spatial Robotic Extrusion Manuel Jiménez García, Gilles Retsin

Playing the Picturesque You + Pea

2015 SERIES

Bloom Alisa Andrasek, José Sanchez House of Flags AY Architects Montpelier Community Nursery AY Architects Design for London Peter Bishop 2EmmaToc / Writtle Calling Matthew Butcher, Melissa Appleton River Douglas Bridge DKFS Architects Open Cinema Colin Fournier, Marysia Lewandowska The ActiveHouse Stephen Gage Déjà vu Penelope Haralambidou Urban Collage Christine Hawley

House Refurbishment in Carmena Izaskun Chinchilla Architects Refurbishment of Garcimuñoz Castle Izaskun Chinchilla Architects Gorchakov’s Wish Kreider + O’Leary Video Shakkei Kreider + O’Leary Megaframe Dirk Krolikowski (Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners) Seasons Through the Looking Glass CJ Lim Agropolis mam

ProtoRobotic FOAMing mam, Grymsdyke Farm, REX|LAB Banyoles Old Town Refurbishment Miàs Architects Torre Baró Apartment Building Miàs Architects Alzheimer’s Respite Centre Níall McLaughlin Architects Bishop Edward King Chapel Níall McLaughlin Architects Block N15 Façade, Olympic Village Níall McLaughlin Architects

Hydrological Infrastructures Smout Allen Lunar Wood Smout Allen Universal Tea Machine Smout Allen British Exploratory Land Archive Smout Allen, Geoff Manaugh 101 Spinning Wardrobe Storp Weber Architects Blind Spot House Storp Weber Architects

Regeneration of Birzeit Historic Centre Palestine Regeneration Team

Green Belt Movement Teaching and Learning Pavilion Patrick Weber

PerFORM Protoarchitecture Lab

Modulating Light and Views Patrick Weber