FAB FEST – International Fabrication Festival

ABOUT

FAB FEST is a week-long celebration of design and making, hosted by the Fabrication Lab from the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at the University of Westminster. For the third year running, it invites creative designers from around the world to envision and build their ideas about architecture and the city. It will feature over 80 pavilions and installations designed internationally, manufactured in the Fabrication Lab, and assembled and installed in Central London.

After five days of making, entertainment and international competition, FAB FEST opens to the local community, with lightweight, recyclable pavilions forming the transient architecture for a series of making events, live musical performances and a three-day exhibition. All the materials for FAB FEST are then recycled (98%!), for next year’s event.

PREVIOUS PROJECTS

To see what you might expect from FAB FEST please see below a selection of projects from FAB FEST ’16 and ’17.

THIS YEAR'S THEME

The theme for FAB FEST this year is Digital City. FAB FEST challenges creative minds to imagine and realise architectural concepts for the cities of tomorrow. We live in a complex and rapidly changing world in which the digital is now ubiquitous. Our personal, social and professional lives are increasingly mediated by digital technologies, and as architects and designers, we have unprecedented opportunities to innovate including computational design, robotic fabrication, and the internet of things.

FAB FEST this year asks designers to reflect on and offer creative responses to the contemporary digital condition. Proposals might push the boundaries for the digital production of architecture, or engage with wider aspects of how the digital affects our architecture, cities and daily lives. The challenge is to propose a compelling and engaging proposal for a pavilion or installation to explore and manifest your ideas. What does the Digital City mean to you as a designer?

TIMELINE

APPLICATIONS OPEN

CONCEPT DESIGN

Gather your team and work together to create your Concept Design. You’ll need to submit a description, sketch and diagram to apply.

SUBMIT APPLICATION

DEVELOPED DESIGN

Develop your design through physical models, digital models and material tests.

SUBMIT DESIGN

TECHNICAL DESIGN

Calibrate your drawings with our machines through testing and prototyping, and prepare your fabrication files ready for us to manufacture in the Lab.

SUBMIT FABRICATION INFO

MANUFACTURE

We manufacture your project for you in the Fabrication Lab in Central London, and leave your parts flat-packed, ready for you to assemble.

ARRIVE IN LONDON

ASSEMBLE

You’ll have five days to assemble and install your pavilion or installation, with events every evening to meet the other participants and unwind.

PRIZE GIVING

19:00

HANDOVER

All projects will need to be completed by 13.00 Friday 6th, in time to prepare for the judging panel.

Prizes will be awarded for various categories by our guest judges, followed by music, drinks and a celebration of the work.

HANDOVER

All projects will need to be completed by 13.00 Friday 6th, in time to prepare for the judging panel.

7PM - PRIZE GIVING

Prizes will be awarded for various categories by our guest judges, followed by music, drinks and a celebration of the work.

LET'S MAKE!

12:00 - 16:00

MUSIC@FABFEST

19:00 - 22:00

FAB FEST opens to the local community, with a family-friendly making festival held amongst the pavilions and installations.

A one-off musical performance in the unique venue of P3 during FAB FEST, featuring one of London’s hottest bands.

EXHIBITION

EXPLORE THE PAVILIONS

Three tranquil days in which to enjoy the pavilions and installations in peace.

FAB FEST '18 - CLOSES

YOUR PAVILIONS WILL LIVE ON

98% of the card will be recycled into boards ready for next year's festival.

RULES

ENTRY CONDITIONS

TEAMS

FAB FEST is a team project. Everyone participates as part of a Design Team, comprising students and one or more Mentors.

Students: We are pleased to welcome applications to FAB FEST from all students of architecture or design, from anywhere in the world. You need only be sure that you are able to get any required permissions or a Visa to come to London to install your project. We will supply you with an official invite to attend the festival if required in order to assist with this process.

Mentors: Teams should find an academic or professional Mentor to work with on their project. Mentors typically are tutors from the team’s University, but may also be professionals working in practice. The Fabrication Lab Staff will provide technical support for the project particularly with materials and feedback on manufacturing processes. Mentors will be expected to advise on the design and the design process.

PROJECT CATEGORIES

There are two categories of project, with different limits on the size of the team, proposal and budget. The category to enter should be chosen according to the project concept and the number of participants in the design team.

Pavilion: The pavilion category is intended for full size, habitable pavilions, and is for teams of 5-8 team members, not including the Mentor.

Installations: The installation category is for teams of two plus a Mentor, and has a smaller allocation for materials and space in the Festival.

BRIEF

THEME

The theme for FAB FEST this year is Digital City. FAB FEST challenges creative minds to imagine and realise architectural concepts for the cities of tomorrow. We live in a complex and rapidly changing world in which the digital is now ubiquitous. Our personal, social and professional lives are increasingly mediated by digital technologies, and as architects and designers, we have unprecedented opportunities to innovate including computational design, robotic fabrication, and the internet of things.

FAB FEST this year asks designers to reflect on and offer creative responses to the contemporary digital condition. Proposals might push the boundaries for the digital production of architecture, or engage with wider aspects of how the digital affects our architecture, cities and daily lives. The challenge is to propose a compelling and engaging proposal for a pavilion or installation to explore and manifest your ideas. What does the Digital City mean to you as a designer?

PROGRAMME

The briefs for FAB FEST are intentionally open. We want participants to be able to explore their personal interests and approach to design within a broad, shared theme. The festival aims at gathering different ideas from around the world, and we want our international visitors to express ideas from their unique cultural perspective. Teams should however bear in mind the context in which the pavilions and installations will be exhibited, and ensure that their proposals make a positive contribution to the collective event.

The programme for pavilions should respond to the brief, while also helping to facilitate the festival. The pavilions and installations will be inhabited over a number of days by both the other participants in the festival, and the general public engaging in a variety of activities. One of the criteria for assessment of pavilions will be the success with which projects facilitate FAB FEST events. There are plenty of clues from previous pavilions about what pavilions might offer, but the exact contribution of the pavilions to the festival is left to the imagination and ingenuity of the participants.

SITE

FAB FEST takes place in and around Ambika P3 in Central London. Ambika P3 was once the cavernous construction hall at the heart of the University of Westminster’s Marylebone campus, but has been transformed into a critically acclaimed exhibition venue. For nine days each Summer, it becomes the home of FAB FEST. Each team will be allocated a site for their project in P3. The positioning of sites will take into account the design intent of the projects as well as the practical requirements of the festival. They will this year also be decided in advance, during the design development phase. Priority in the space will be given to those teams that keep to the timeline and submit their proposals by the required deadlines.

DESIGN

Teams are encouraged to be as imaginative and creative as they can in the design and fabrication of their projects. But for both practical reasons and to ensure a fair basis on which to judge the competition, teams must keep to a few key rules.

MATERIALS

All materials for projects will be supplied by the Fabrication Lab - and teams are only allowed to use materials supplied by the Lab. The core material used in FAB FEST is a high quality double-wall cardboard, faced with white paper on one side and Kraftpaper on the other. Teams do however have the option to use a variety of fixings and supplementary materials that they can work with creatively to suit their design. Materials are priced in FAB FEST EUROS (FF€) and every team will be given the same budget. Teams can use the budget as they like, but must act as their own quantity surveyors ensuring that ambitions for their designs match up to their allowed budget. There is likewise a budget provided for the cost of time on the digital fabrication machines. The budget for pavilions is FF€1,000.00 and FF€500.00 machine time. For installations it is FF€400.00 and FF€150.00 for machine time. The materials with FF€ prices will soon be available on the FAB FEST website shop.

DIMENSIONS

Teams are encouraged to be creative with the form they design for their projects. There are however limitations on space, and to ensure a fair allocation between teams there are limits on the total volume of each project. Pavilions must be no more than 15m3 (3m x 2.5m x 2m for example) and installations must keep within 5m3. There are no specific restrictions on height, but bear in mind that projects must stand up and be stable!

STRUCTURE

Pavilions and installations should be free-standing and self-supporting. There are some opportunities for suspending pavilions but this must be agreed in advance with the festival organisers, and should be proposed if it is essential to the design concept for the project. The festival is about design and architecture, and part of the challenge is to build structures that stand by themselves.

The FAB FEST materials are lightweight and thin, but also very strong if used well. Designs need to take the properties of the material into account and take advantage of their structural potential. The design development needs to include a test of the material to ensure that your design performs as intended and supports the intended load of the pavilion. Teams will be provided with an additional budget of FF€100 specifically for testing materials and pavilion components. The testing budget must be used within the design development (by the end of April) and cannot be added to the budget available for the final build.

CONSTRUCTION

MANUFACTURE

All the FAB FEST projects are manufactured using the digital machines in the Fabrication Lab at the University of Westminster. They include a CNC tangential knife, CNC oscillating knife and five laser cutters. The materials have been to chosen to cut well on all three types of machine, as well as by hand with a craft knife. The Fab Lab staff will manufacture the parts for your pavilion based on the fabrication information you provide at the beginning of June. Note there is a huge volume of parts to manufacture for everyone participating in the festival and all the necessary information for the design needs to be provided by the manufacturing deadline. We cannot guarantee that parts will be prepared in time if the arrive after the deadline. To ensure that your design can be cut and assembled as you intend, it is also essential that teams test their designs in advance, but submitting samples of proposed joints and assemblies for the technical design of the project. The machines will be available for this purpose and a dedicated member of the Lab team will be provided to assist you with the cutting and feedback on test pieces.

ASSEMBLY

The assembly and installation of pavilions takes place during the week of the competition at the beginning of July. The parts for each team’s pavilion will be supplied flat-packed, ready for assembly. Teams will have one week to build and install their project. The Fabrication Lab will be available to facilitate the construction of the festival, but teams will be individually responsible for assembling their pavilion. Events will be held each evening to help the process along, and the venue will be open late where necessary to allow teams time to complete their build.

HANDOVER

Teams have until 13:00 6th July to complete the construction of their pavilion ready for handover. Participants will then be expected to help clear the venue ready for judging which begins 17:00.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

PRIZES

There are a number of prizes available in FAB FEST, each with different judges and focusing on different aspect of the projects. The criteria used by the judges for each prize are as described below

ARCHITECTURE PRIZE

This category is awarded by a professional judging panel of architects from London’s leading architecture offices. The Architecture Prize is awarded to the pavilion that best fulfils the FAB FEST brief as a work of architecture.

FABRICATION PRIZE

This category is awarded by the Fabrication Lab Staff. The prize is awarded for the team that shows greatest innovation in the use of fabrication processes in the construction of their pavilion.

PROFESSORIAL PRIZE

The prize is awarded by a guest Professor from the University of Westminster for the Pavilion that best explores the academic issues posed by the brief.

DS SMITH PRIZE

A prize awarded by our main sponsors who provide all the cardboard used in the festival. The DS Smith prize is given for the most creative and innovative use of the provided materials.

HAWTHORN PRIZE

A prize awarded by the Hawthorn event production company that sponsors FAB FEST with incredible staging and lighting to help make the most out of the built pavilions. It is awarded for the pavilion that provides the most immersive user experience.

QUINTIN HOGG PRIZE

An award from our generous sponsors who have provided the core funding for FAB FEST for the past three years. It is awarded to the best Small Project, as decided by the QHT panel.

DCW PRIZE

Awarded by our partners from Digital Construction Week for the best use of DfMA (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly) in the construction of the pavilion. The winning pavilion or small project will be exhibited as a centre piece of this year’s DCW held at Excel in Central London. To be eligible for the prize, the pavilion must be demountable so that it can be transported and rebuilt for the Exhibition.

PEOPLE'S FESTIVAL PRIZE

The People’s Prize is awarded on the Saturday after the public festival opens, and is judged by the general public. Visitors to Let’s Make have the chance to pick and vote for their favourite pavilion, and the pavilion with the most votes will win. The prize will be awarded 15.45 on Saturday 7th July.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Your Team and your Project Name

Please submit the names of the members of your team as well as the name and contact details of your academic or professional Mentor(s)

Data format: .pdf (on provided Application Form Template)

A brief description of your Project

Please submit a brief project description, which clearly describes the design concept and the innovative character of the project. This text will be published on all communication platforms.

Length: 150 - 200 words
Data format: .pdf (on provided Application Form Template)

Logo of your University or School

A single image of the Logo you would like us to use to represent the participation of your University in the festival.

Size: 300 dpi resolution
Data format: .png or .pdf

Design Concept Documentation

Present the concept for your pavilion using sketches and explanatory diagrams. Each sketch or diagram should be a separate file.

Size: 300 dpi resolution
Data format: .jpg or .pdf

Descriptive pictures (optional)

Single images without logos, frames or text (these images will be used for our PR work and publications).

Size: 300 dpi resolution
Data format: .jpg or .pdf

Video and/or animation (optional)

Dimension: max. 2 minutes footage

Data size: max. 25 MB
Data format: QuickTime or AVI-format

Please note.

Applications can only be accepted using the provided Application Form Template.

All required documents needs to be sent or uploaded in digital format. Printed documents will not be accepted.

All materials must be in English. Please ensure that your descriptions are proof-read by an English native speaker or translation agency.

RULES

ENTRY CONDITIONS

TEAMS

FAB FEST is a team project. Everyone participates as part of a Design Team, comprising students and one or more Mentors.

Students: We are pleased to welcome applications to FAB FEST from all students of architecture or design, from anywhere in the world. You need only be sure that you are able to get any required permissions or a Visa to come to London to install your project. We will supply you with an official invite to attend the festival if required in order to assist with this process.

Mentors: Teams should find an academic or professional Mentor to work with on their project. Mentors typically are tutors from the team’s University, but may also be professionals working in practice. The Fabrication Lab Staff will provide technical support for the project particularly with materials and feedback on manufacturing processes. Mentors will be expected to advise on the design and the design process.

PROJECT CATEGORIES

There are two categories of project, with different limits on the size of the team, proposal and budget. The category to enter should be chosen according to the project concept and the number of participants in the design team.

Pavilion: The pavilion category is intended for full size, habitable pavilions, and is for teams of 5-8 team members, not including the Mentor.

Installations: The installation category is for teams of two plus a Mentor, and has a smaller allocation for materials and space in the Festival.

BRIEF

THEME

The theme for FAB FEST this year is Digital City. FAB FEST challenges creative minds to imagine and realise architectural concepts for the cities of tomorrow. We live in a complex and rapidly changing world in which the digital is now ubiquitous. Our personal, social and professional lives are increasingly mediated by digital technologies, and as architects and designers, we have unprecedented opportunities to innovate including computational design, robotic fabrication, and the internet of things.

FAB FEST this year asks designers to reflect on and offer creative responses to the contemporary digital condition. Proposals might push the boundaries for the digital production of architecture, or engage with wider aspects of how the digital affects our architecture, cities and daily lives. The challenge is to propose a compelling and engaging proposal for a pavilion or installation to explore and manifest your ideas. What does the Digital City mean to you as a designer?

PROGRAMME

The briefs for FAB FEST are intentionally open. We want participants to be able to explore their personal interests and approach to design within a broad, shared theme. The festival aims at gathering different ideas from around the world, and we want our international visitors to express ideas from their unique cultural perspective. Teams should however bear in mind the context in which the pavilions and installations will be exhibited, and ensure that their proposals make a positive contribution to the collective event.

The programme for pavilions should respond to the brief, while also helping to facilitate the festival. The pavilions and installations will be inhabited over a number of days by both the other participants in the festival, and the general public engaging in a variety of activities. One of the criteria for assessment of pavilions will be the success with which projects facilitate FAB FEST events. There are plenty of clues from previous pavilions about what pavilions might offer, but the exact contribution of the pavilions to the festival is left to the imagination and ingenuity of the participants.

SITE

FAB FEST takes place in and around Ambika P3 in Central London. Ambika P3 was once the cavernous construction hall at the heart of the University of Westminster’s Marylebone campus, but has been transformed into a critically acclaimed exhibition venue. For nine days each Summer, it becomes the home of FAB FEST. Each team will be allocated a site for their project in P3. The positioning of sites will take into account the design intent of the projects as well as the practical requirements of the festival. They will this year also be decided in advance, during the design development phase. Priority in the space will be given to those teams that keep to the timeline and submit their proposals by the required deadlines.

DESIGN

Teams are encouraged to be as imaginative and creative as they can in the design and fabrication of their projects. But for both practical reasons and to ensure a fair basis on which to judge the competition, teams must keep to a few key rules.

MATERIALS

All materials for projects will be supplied by the Fabrication Lab - and teams are only allowed to use materials supplied by the Lab. The core material used in FAB FEST is a high quality double-wall cardboard, faced with white paper on one side and Kraftpaper on the other. Teams do however have the option to use a variety of fixings and supplementary materials that they can work with creatively to suit their design. Materials are priced in FAB FEST EUROS (FF€) and every team will be given the same budget. Teams can use the budget as they like, but must act as their own quantity surveyors ensuring that ambitions for their designs match up to their allowed budget. There is likewise a budget provided for the cost of time on the digital fabrication machines. The budget for pavilions is FF€1,000.00 and FF€500.00 machine time. For installations it is FF€400.00 and FF€150.00 for machine time. The materials with FF€ prices will soon be available on the FAB FEST website shop.

DIMENSIONS

Teams are encouraged to be creative with the form they design for their projects. There are however limitations on space, and to ensure a fair allocation between teams there are limits on the total volume of each project. Pavilions must be no more than 15m3 (3m x 2.5m x 2m for example) and installations must keep within 15m3. There are no specific restrictions on height, but bear in mind that projects must stand up and be stable!

STRUCTURE

Pavilions and installations should be free-standing and self-supporting. There are some opportunities for suspending pavilions but this must be agreed in advance with the festival organisers, and should be proposed if it is essential to the design concept for the project. The festival is about design and architecture, and part of the challenge is to build structures that stand by themselves.

The FAB FEST materials are lightweight and thin, but also very strong if used well. Designs need to take the properties of the material into account and take advantage of their structural potential. The design development needs to include a test of the material to ensure that your design performs as intended and supports the intended load of the pavilion. Teams will be provided with an additional budget of FF€100 specifically for testing materials and pavilion components. The testing budget must be used within the design development (by the end of April) and cannot be added to the budget available for the final build.

CONSTRUCTION

MANUFACTURE

All the FAB FEST projects are manufactured using the digital machines in the Fabrication Lab at the University of Westminster. They include a CNC tangential knife, CNC oscillating knife and five laser cutters. The materials have been to chosen to cut well on all three types of machine, as well as by hand with a craft knife. The Fab Lab staff will manufacture the parts for your pavilion based on the fabrication information you provide at the beginning of June. Note there is a huge volume of parts to manufacture for everyone participating in the festival and all the necessary information for the design needs to be provided by the manufacturing deadline. We cannot guarantee that parts will be prepared in time if the arrive after the deadline. To ensure that your design can be cut and assembled as you intend, it is also essential that teams test their designs in advance, but submitting samples of proposed joints and assemblies for the technical design of the project. The machines will be available for this purpose and a dedicated member of the Lab team will be provided to assist you with the cutting and feedback on test pieces.

ASSEMBLY

The assembly and installation of pavilions takes place during the week of the competition at the beginning of July. The parts for each team’s pavilion will be supplied flat-packed, ready for assembly. Teams will have one week to build and install their project. The Fabrication Lab will be available to facilitate the construction of the festival, but teams will be individually responsible for assembling their pavilion. Events will be held each evening to help the process along, and the venue will be open late where necessary to allow teams time to complete their build.

HANDOVER

Teams have until 13.00 6th July to complete the construction of their pavilion ready for handover. Participants will then be expected to help clear the venue ready for judging which begins 17.00.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

PRIZES

There are a number of prizes available in FAB FEST, each with different judges and focusing on different aspect of the projects. The criteria used by the judges for each prize are as described below

ARCHITECTURE PRIZE

This category is awarded by a professional judging panel of architects from London’s leading architecture offices. The Architecture Prize is awarded to the pavilion that best fulfils the FAB FEST brief as a work of architecture.

FABRICATION PRIZE

This category is awarded by the Fabrication Lab Staff. The prize is awarded for the team that shows greatest innovation in the use of fabrication processes in the construction of their pavilion.

PROFESSORIAL PRIZE

The prize is awarded by a guest Professor from the University of Westminster for the Pavilion that best explores the academic issues posed by the brief.

DS SMITH PRIZE

A prize awarded by our main sponsors who provide all the cardboard used in the festival. The DS Smith prize is given for the most creative and innovative use of the provided materials.

HAWTHORN PRIZE

A prize awarded by the Hawthorn event production company that sponsors FAB FEST with incredible staging and lighting to help make the most out of the built pavilions. It is awarded for the pavilion that provides the most immersive user experience.

QUINTIN HOGG PRIZE

An award from our generous sponsors who have provided the core funding for FAB FEST for the past three years. It is awarded to the best Small Project, as decided by the QHT panel.

DCW PRIZE

Awarded by our partners from Digital Construction Week for the best use of DfMA (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly) in the construction of the pavilion. The winning pavilion or small project will be exhibited as a centre piece of this year’s DCW held at Excel in Central London. To be eligible for the prize, the pavilion must be demountable so that it can be transported and rebuilt for the Exhibition.

PEOPLE'S FESTIVAL PRIZE

The People’s Prize is awarded on the Saturday after the public festival opens, and is judged by the general public. Visitors to Let’s Make have the chance to pick and vote for their favourite pavilion, and the pavilion with the most votes will win. The prize will be awarded 15.45 on Saturday 7th July.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Your Team and your Project Name

Please submit the names of the members of your team as well as the name and contact details of your academic or professional Mentor(s)

Data format: .pdf (on provided Application Form Template)

A brief description of your Project

Please submit a brief project description, which clearly describes the design concept and the innovative character of the project. This text will be published on all communication platforms.

Length: 150 - 200 words
Data format: .pdf (on provided Application Form Template)

Logo of your University or School

A single image of the Logo you would like us to use to represent the participation of your University in the festival.

Size: 300 dpi resolution
Data format: .png or .pdf

Design Concept Documentation

Present the concept for your pavilion using sketches and explanatory diagrams. Each sketch or diagram should be a separate file.

Size: 300 dpi resolution
Data format: .jpg or .pdf

Descriptive pictures (optional)

Single images without logos, frames or text (these images will be used for our PR work and publications).

Size: 300 dpi resolution
Data format: .jpg or .pdf

Video and/or animation (optional)

Dimension: max. 2 minutes footage

Data size: max. 25 MB
Data format: QuickTime or AVI-format

Please note.

Applications can only be accepted using the provided Application Form Template.

All required documents needs to be sent or uploaded in digital format. Printed documents will not be accepted.

All materials must be in English. Please ensure that your descriptions are proof-read by an English native speaker or translation agency.

FEES

The Fee to participate in FAB FEST is £50 (£20 for installations project) for each team member. Academic and Professional Mentors do not pay to take part. The fee includes all the materials and machine time allowed by the rules to build the projects; feedback and advice from the Fabrication Lab Staff during the design development of projects; and access to the Fabrication Lab, P3 and to all events and entertainment throughout the nine days of FAB FEST. Visitors to London will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation. Discounts apply to current students of the University of Westminster.

APPLICATION

Once you have all the required documents (see the rules section), download and complete the application form. Once completed, upload the form and a member of the team will contact you. To see a sample of a filled in form, please click here.