Augmenting Architecture Through Desktop Manufacturing

Personal desktop manufacturing, with its roots in hacker culture, is on the cusp of exploding into the main stream due to the advent of affordable personal 3D printers. This paper is an exploration of these advances in desktop manufacturing technology and their impact on our relationship with products and the built environment. The paper draws parallels to the personal computing and desktop publishing revolutions that offer clues to the future of personal desktop manufacturing. Four major themes have emerged from this exploration: Personal empowerment, remote printing and collaboration, full-scale digital construction, and, most intriguingly, architectural prosthetics. Based on an open-source philosophy and creative commons licensing, desktop manufacturing is redefining our relationship with large manufacturers and is beginning to convert us back from a consumerist culture into a creator one.