The pieces across the Beach Club lobby
were designed and made here in Roatán.
Built through a process that combines
precision and craftsmanship, each detail
reflects a way of creating that feels both
local and intentional.
#beachclubpristinebay #prospera
We are excited to welcome Alicia Nahmad Vazquez, Founder and CEO of Circular Factory, to our upcoming Hi-DARS talk. Her work explores the intersection of robotics, digital fabrication, and material practice, with a focus on technologies that augment human craft rather than replace it. Through projects spanning architectural pavilions, robotic installations, and full-scale construction systems, Nahmad Vazquez bridges traditional building cultures with advanced fabrication methods, creating context-specific and resilient modes of making architecture.
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* This Hi-DARS talk is part of the ARCH 5604 M.Arch graduate studio and welcomes all TTU students, along with individual online participants from other institutions or independent practitioners.
Alicia Nahmad Vazquez is an architectural designer, researcher, and entrepreneur whose work has been exhibited twice at the Venice Biennale and recognized internationally, including the award-winning Knit Candela project. As Founder and CEO of Circular Factory—a distributed robotic timber micro-factory platform—and creator of Tierra Zen, a line of digitally fabricated curved-timber cabins, she integrates design, fabrication, and local skills into holistic living environments. Alicia serves as Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, co-directs the Laboratory for Integrative Design, and is a Visiting Professor at the Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania. She holds a PhD and M.Arch degrees from Cardiff University, AA School of Architecture.
📸1. Venice Biennale 2023, Beyabu prototype by The Circular Factory, design ZHACODE
📸 2. Alicia
📸3. & 7. Knit Candela: BRG, ZHACODE with R-Ex
📸4. Learning from Candela: R-Ex, ZHACODE with Knut Brunier
📸5. & 10. TopOpt Shell: R-Ex, ZHACODE with Chikara Inamura, Asbjorn Sondergaard & Joshua Zabel
📸6. Kalla: R-Ex with University of Westminster and Vishu Bhooshan
📸8. FIAB Robot Drawings: Laboratory for Integrative Design, U. of Calgary
📸9. Tierra Zen cabins by The Circular Factory
#HiDARS #TexasTech #TTUHCoA #roboticfabrication
Thank you to everyone who’s been part of this wild and wonderful Circular Factory journey. 2025 was full of hard work, learning, and incredible collaboration!
Here’s to more curved cabins, local materials, and small factories with big dreams in 2026.
Happy Holidays from all of us at Circular Factory!
#CircularFactory #microfactories #RoboticCraft #PrefabTimber #NewWaysToBuild #DesignToFabrication #Gratitude #HappyHolidays
🔺Roatan’s Raw Timber Pergola
MRAC students in collaboration with @circular.factory and the Prospera community built a full-scale prototype of robotic timber construction developed in Roatán, Honduras, exploring how local trees, digital fabrication and traditional knowledge can converge to rethink sustainable building practices in tropical contexts.
Built from locally sourced laurel trees—using forks and short pieces usually discarded—this 5-meter-tall timber pergola rethinks waste and precision. Drone scans powered a smart design workflow, while two robotic arms on tracks, paired with a custom holder, made fast, adaptive fabrication possible.Topped with a traditional palapa roof, the semi-automated process brought together carpenters and robot researchers—proving how communication and flexibility can create 20m² of shaded community space. 🤖🛠️
🔗 Watch the full video in our link in bio!
Honoured to exhibit at #venicebiennale2025 #PalazzoMora as part of #TimeSpaceExistence with our project:
Hybrid Structures for Urban Regeneration
Our installation, fabricated by The Circular Factory, explores hybrid timber-metal systems for adaptive urban spaces. The prototype features:
🌲 Laminated timber arch
⚙️ Curve-creased folded aluminum formwork
🪨 Concrete casting with circular design principles
Part of our ongoing research in modular, reusable kits of parts for urban transformation—turning vacant lots into vibrant community hubs.
🔧 Designed by:
@zhcode
👷Engineering by:
@fastepp
Prototype in collaboration with
@ucalgarysapl
Grateful to @ecc_italy for bringing together such inspiring exhibition
#VeniceBiennale2025 #TimeSpaceExistence #DigitalFabrication #SustainableArchitecture #CircularDesign #MaterialInnovation #RoboticFabrication #HybridStructures #DigitalTimber #CurveCreasedFolding
Did you know that a team from @UCalgary is in Venice right now preparing for the most prestigious exhibition of architecture in the world? A #UCalgarySAPL team led by @ali_nv was invited by @ecc_italy to exhibit their prototype project, Hybrid Structures for Urban Regeneration, at the international #BiennaleArchitettura2025 which opens to the public on May 10. This project is the culmination of a three-year collaboration with @zhcode@circular.factory@fastepp and @integrative_design
It applies a transdisciplinary approach to challenges @cityofcalgary faces with rapid development and growth, requiring customizable, efficient structures incorporating innovative and high-quality materials that can be reused, reconfigured and recycled.
The Biennale is open through Nov 23, so if you’re heading to Italy this year, you might want to check it out!
Credits:
Design:
Zaha Hadid Architects Computation and Design Group (CODE)
Digital Fabrication , Production, Robotic Manufacture:
Circular Factory
Structural Engineering:
Fast + Epp
Prototyping, Documentation, and Multi-Media:
The University of Calgary School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape - Laboratory for Integrative Design
Title:
Hybrid Structures for Urban Regeneration
#BiennaleArchitettura #Urbanism #Architecture #Design
✨ where the magic starts ✨
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Calculating, laminating, cutting and milling takes place in the cell before the frame parts move for panel assembly and finally get integrated into a full cabin assembly.
Timber frames will be put together onsite for install. The art is in get calculations, geometry development and machining to ensure that when things come together they seamlessly fit ✨✨🤖
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#glampingcabin #timbercabin #digitaltimber #robotmachining #robotmilling #digitaldesign #project #microfactory #woodworking #construction #timber #timberdesign #computationaldesign #technical
2025 has been to a manic start with our machines and shop running full time 🤖🤖💪🏼🚀 .
2024 was an amazing year and beyond what we could’ve dreamt it to be and we are very much grateful for it. It was the first official year of CF01 @circular.factory first microfactory located in @prosperahn running in full production mode using our software platform and integrated hardware.
These are just some highlights, but don’t be fooled that it was all ‘good’. There were countless exhausting days, very long nights, thousands of dollars lost, and a couple of breakdowns where we thought we couldn’t keep going. But we kept pushing forward and are starting 2025 with a very positive mind.
��- We built over 200 facade louver components that were delivered and installed in @dunaresidences , the highest building in Roatan.
��- We delivered over 300 pieces of customised furniture for the Verandas hotel including tables, headboards and more
��-Our software platform was tested with projects containing 100s of different timber elements and customised processes
��-We got to partner with academic institutions that we dreamt about collaborating with to research and build raw- timber structures testing #local materials and #digitalprocesses @iaac_mrac
��- Our team grew from 4 people to over 15 with a strong female presence in the shop
��- We started production of our signature glamping cabins which will start shipping soon
��Thank you to our investors and collaborators for providing the knowledge/ wisdom/ support that helped make this all happen 🚀🚀
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We are incredibly grateful for the best team we could ask for who helps keep the ship afloat !
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We can’t wait to see how 2025 develops as we start shipping our glamping cabins and expand our micro factory model into new markets with CF02 and beyond 🦾💪🏼
#woodworking #digitaltimber #microfactory #digitalplanning #roboticfabrication #woodshop #business #startup #smallbusiness #digitalfabrication #timber #wooddesign #digitaldesign #dfma #research_development #construction #futureofconstruction #timberconstruction #facadedesign #computationalgeometry #virtualdesign #programming #futureofwork #projects
Monday morning meeting with our fabrication lead @jndackiw and off for another productive week! Have a nice week everyone!!
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#woodwork #goodwork #microfactory #sustainableproduction #technology #socialinnovation #robotics #digitalfabrication #island #craft #woodworking #woodworkingskills #highendproduct
Beautiful grain patterns on this laminations for a new project setup. Each process in our micro factory is designed with precision and care. Flexible configurations in the micro-factory deployment enable quick customization, it’s going to be an epic day finishing this setup!!
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#woodcrafting #microfactory #robotics #digitaltimber #roboticfabrication #flexiblemicrofactory #bespokewood #skillsdevelopment #futureproofingtrades #futureofwork #laminations #timber #parametricdesign #parametricarchitecture #digitalfabrication #circulardesign #innovation #sustainability #circulareconomy #remotefabrication
