Self-Assembly Lab Experiments in Programming Matter

What if structures could build themselves or adapt to fluctuating environments? Skylar Tibbits, Director of the Self-Assembly Lab in the Department of Architecture at MIT, Cambridge, MA, crosses the boundaries between architecture, biology, materials science and the arts, to envision a world where material components can self-assemble to provide adapting structures and optimized fabrication solutions. The book examines the three main ingredients for self-assembly, includes interviews with practitioners involved in the work and presents research projects related to these topics to provide a complete first look at exciting future technologies in construction and self-transforming material products.

Introduction: Self-Assembly & Design Research Ingredients 1: Materials & Geometry 1. 4D Printing: Multi-Material Shape Change 2. Programmable Materials 3. DNA disPLAY Interviews 1: Arthur Olson, The Scripps Research Institute Adam Bly, Seed Media Group Ingredients 2: Mechanics & Interaction 4. Self-Assembly Studio, Department of Architecture, MIT 5. HyperForm BioMolecular & Chiral Self-Assembly Interviews 2: John Hoke & Mike Yonker, Nike Inc. Shelly Linor, Stratasys Ltd. Carlos Olguin, Bio/Nano Matter Programmer Ingredients 3: Energy & Entropy 7. Aerial Assemblies 8. Self-Assembly Line 9. Fluid Crystallization Interviews 3: Paola Antonelli, The Museum of Modern Art John Main, DARPA Conclusion: Materials, Interaction, and Entropy

Skylar Tibbits is faculty at MIT's Department of Architecture, teaching graduate and undergraduate design studios and co-teaching How to Make (Almost) Anything, a seminar at MIT’s Media Lab. The Self-Assembly Lab, directed by Skylar Tibbits and Jared Laucks, focuses on self-assembly and programmable material technologies for novel manufacturing, products and construction processes.