杏吧原创

RARELY does a single building transform the fortunes of a city as much as the Guggenheim Museum did for Bilbao. An overnight success, it was credited with revitalising the Spanish city.

Ambitious towns around the world have since tried to emulate the 鈥淏ilbao effect鈥� by erecting statement buildings of their own. These often rely on novel design and construction techniques 鈥� just as it took computers to turn 鈥渟tarchitect鈥� Frank Gehry鈥檚 loosely drawn Guggenheim sketches into titanium reality.

Now the combination of digital design, 3D printing and robotics promises to make flamboyant architecture commonplace (see 鈥�Robot builders deliver architects鈥� dreams鈥�); a promise to make town planners both rejoice and weep. Will cities end up crammed with eyesores, or will each block feel its own Bilbao effect? The power to choose lies in our robots鈥� hands.

This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淐ity planning lies in robots鈥� hands鈥�