Capitalizing on Uncertainty

AR-809 / 2 credits

Language: English

Remark: August 31-September 5, 2026 from 9.15 to 18.00. Room: GC B3 30. Registration via https://cap-uncertainty.epfl.ch/registration-2/

Frequency

Only this year

Summary

SUMMER SCHOOL - Capitalizing on Uncertainty is a 6-day Summer school exploring uncertainty as a productive resource in design and fabrication through lectures, hands-on experiments, and the collaborative design and construction of a full-scale structure in a human-robot fabrication setting.

Content

Uncertainty is a defining condition across disciplines - from psychology and robotics to architecture and structural engineering. While often treated as a risk to be minimized, this Summer school argues that uncertainty can instead be a productive force: one that fuels creativity, resilience, and innovation. Bringing together perpectives from architecture, robotics, and work psychology, the program explores how uncertainty influrences design thinking, fabrication processes, and collaborative work.

Over six days, teams will design and build a 1:1 timber pavilion from irregular material stock, engaging directly with material variability, adaptive decision-making, and collaborative processes. By combining humanâ€“robot interaction, interdisciplinary insights, and experimental making, the summer school offers a unique setting to engage with uncertainty across cognitive, material, and social domains.

Schedule:

DAY 1: CONCEPTUAL FRAMING

DAY 2: MODEL UNCERTAINTY

DAY 3: MATERIAL UNCERTAINTY

DAY 4: DESIGN (WITH) UNCERTAINTY

DAY 5: SOCIAL UNCERTAINTY

DAY 6: EVALUATION & REFLECTION

Details:

Fees: 250 CHF (PhD), 100 CHF (Master)

Accommodation: Provided for participants living outside Lausanne.

Registration: https://cap-uncertainty.epfl.ch/registration-2/