From the moment it was conceived, Nagami emerged from “the passion and almost obsession for design and for driving change within it.” This aspiration aimed not only to innovate architectural forms but also to reinvent production methods applicable to contemporary interior design.
In 2013, Manuel Jiménez García took charge of a laboratory at The Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL, London), where a revolutionary idea surfaced: to employ industrial robots as large-scale printing tools. As Manuel puts it, “I had the idea that perhaps by using industrial robots we could develop a large-format printing system….” This insight proved decisive: it transformed a scenario where 3D printing was still confined to desktop-scale prototypes and laid the groundwork for real and functional design execution.
The research born from that idea achieved remarkable success: in just two years, the proposal attracted the interest of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which commissioned pieces for its permanent collection and for the largest 3D printing exhibition held to date. This milestone not only validated Nagami’s technical approach but also marked its transition from an academic laboratory into a benchmark at the intersection of design, technology, and architecture.
This account offers interior design professionals a valuable perspective: the confluence of academic knowledge, technical vision, and creative passion can redefine the materiality of spaces. By transforming robots into large-scale printers, Nagami not only challenges scaling limitations, but also proposes a new way of conceiving furniture, claddings, or installations tailored to specific spatial needs.
The phrase “the passion and almost obsession for design” suggests that the seed of innovation stems not from practical answers but from a profound desire to experiment. That obsession, combined with technical mastery, enabled the exploration of new three-dimensional geometries and their contextualization in real environments.
Furthermore, the self-construction of robotic systems grants Nagami comprehensive control over the entire creative cycle: from digital conception to physical fabrication. In practice, this means that an interior design studio, by aligning with large-format printing technologies, can materialize unique pieces—such as sculptural enclosures, custom modular furniture, or specialized panels—with technical precision and aesthetic coherence.
Ultimately, this excerpt reveals how an idea conceived in an academic laboratory can have a tangible impact on today’s design world. From the initial ambition—capable of translating digital forms into the real world in a “coherent and effective” way—to the international commission that sealed that ability. It is a journey that merges discipline, technology, and passion, redefining what we can today understand as advanced design within the landscape of interior design.
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