From open innovation to design-led manufacturing: Cases of Australian art and architecture

Design Robotics is a program of research that places design and its processes and thinking at the forefront of robotic research to enable design-led manufacturing. This paper presents two cases of built works created by Brisbane based UAP Company (Urban Art Projects). UAP is a global manufacturer of urban artworks and architectural facades. The QUT Design Robotics research group and RMIT are collaborating with UAP on an Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC) funded project (2017-2022). These cases are part of the Design Robotics Open Innovation Network that has been established to share the outcomes from projects with industry. This paper addresses the question, How can open innovation be employed as a strategy for architectural innovation within a design-led manufacturing organization? In response to the research question, the cases are examined through the theoretical lens of ‘Open Innovation’, which describes how an organisation can purposively manage inward flows of external knowledge, and outward flows of internal knowledge to increase its ability to innovate in line with its business model (West & Bogers, 2014). The manufacture of the two cases employed an open innovation strategy to explore the potentials of advanced manufacturing technologies in collaboration with external partners. As a methodology, the researchers follow a case study strategy by co-locating within the industry partner to do on-site observations and findings. The cases are unique in that they reveal an account of the internal know-how and decision-making processes required to integrate advanced manufacturing technologies into established workflows as part of the innovation process. These built works demonstrate novel approaches to integrating robotic systems and virtual reality into the ideation, communication, design development, and manufacture required to deliver each project.