Alvaro LRDesign
Alvaro Lopez Rodriguez, Phd
@alvarolrd
alvarolopezrodriguezdesign@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/alvaro-lopez-559286106
Alvaro Lopez Rodriguez is an architect, researcher, and Associate Professor (Teaching) at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, where he leads innovation at the intersection of robotics, 3D printing, and mixed reality. In October 2025, he completed his PhD at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid with the thesis "Digital Interactions: Architecture for the Augmented Era," which redefines the synergy between human craftsmanship and digital automation. He also holds a Master of Architecture with Distinction from The Bartlett and a Master’s in Architecture from the European University of Madrid.
Complementing his academic tenure, Alvaro is a highly sought-after Digital Manufacturing Consultant. He has collaborated with pioneering international firms, including Nagami, Ensamble Studio, and DBT ETH Zurich, to implement advanced robotic fabrication and augmented reality workflows in large-scale architectural projects. His expertise bridges the gap between computational design and physical construction, focusing on "Augmented Craftsmanship" to empower local labour through intuitive technological tools.
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CV
WOVEN MEMORY SPACE MEDIA FESTIVAL, 2016
WOVEN MEMORY
Manuel Jiménez García
Design Team:
Manuel Jiménez García
Christina Dahdaleh
Wei
Chieh Shih
Robotic Manufacturing:
Alvaro Lopez Rodriguez
Vicente Soler
Seiichi Suzuki Erazo
Project Supported by:
Dezact
Modern Body Festival
& The Bartlett School of Architecture UCL
DESCRIPTION
Woven Memory is a medium-scale light structure that redefines the relationship between natural materials and digital fabrication. Utilising bamboo as its primary medium, the project investigates the creation of a "structural ecology" where individual linear elements are bundled and manipulated to form an inhabitable, bending-active space.
The construction process bridges the gap between digital simulation and physical output through a sophisticated robotic workflow. Industrial robots were employed to bend and assemble the bamboo elements, guided by Softmodelling (a software developed by Manuel Jimenez Garcia) and ElasticSpace (a custom application by Keiichi Suzuki for the physical simulation of active bending). This robotic precision allowed for the creation of a stable, modular framework consisting of 3-meter elements, each composed of 30 flexible rods bundled together.
Beyond its structural innovation, the project incorporates advanced textile research. The framework supports fabrics impregnated with ink using a reinterpretation of darkroom photography techniques. Led by Wei Chieh Shih, this process utilises lasers to expose developing chemicals on the fabric, creating intricate patterns that respond to the structure's geometry.
Designed for the Space Media Festival in Taipei and supported by The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, Woven Memory is a modular system that prioritises ease of assembly and transportation. It stands as a testament to how local, sustainable materials can be integrated into high-tech computational workflows to produce complex, resilient architectural environments.
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