Cutting-Edge Craft: 8 Times CNC Technology Redefined Modern Wooden Architecture
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It’s safe to say that the days when architects relied solely on hand-drawn plans and traditional tools to bring their visions to life are long gone. Nowadays, they use a mix of advanced techniques, from parametric modeling to robotic fabrication. One of these tools is CNC (Computer Numerical Control) technology — a method that cuts, mills and carves materials with machine-guided precision. This allows architects to shape wood, metal, and even concrete with incredible accuracy, making intricate designs faster and more efficient to build.
While CNC is commonly used behind the scenes for cabinetry, structural elements or standardized components, some projects take it a step further, making the technology integral to the design and construction process. Whether carving out wooden lattices, constructing gravity-defying pavilions, or repurposing recycled materials, CNC technology can help turn complex ideas into reality. And for these eight projects, that’s precisely what it does.
The Learning Architecture for Learners
By VUILD, Koganei, Japan
This incubation center brings together industry, government and academia under a structure shaped by CNC precision. Using 5-axis CNC milling, three-dimensionally curved wood beams and panels were cut to serve as both concrete formwork and the final structural surface. Instead of being discarded, the wooden molds remain in place, giving the building its distinctive character. The shell’s depth is formed by a zigzag cross-section, with layers slightly offset to add strength. Every component was pre-cut in VUILD’s own factory, ensuring accuracy and efficiency. The result is a lightweight yet resilient structure that demonstrates how digital fabrication can minimize waste while pushing the possibilities of timber construction.
Pavilion of Floating Lights
By JK-AR, Jinju-si, South Korea
The Pavilion of Floating Lights reinterprets East Asian timber architecture through CNC precision and augmented reality. Inspired by the historic -ru pavilions, the structure features six tree-like columns that echo the wooden brackets of Chokseok-ru, a landmark built in 1365. Traditional carpentry techniques are revived without nails or adhesives, using CNC-milled plywood components assembled on-site with AR guidance. This approach increases construction efficiency while honoring heritage craftsmanship. Positioned along the Namgang River, the pavilion offers an open civic space for public gatherings, particularly during the Floating Lights Festival. Its delicate framework, combined with glass walls, creates a sense of openness, reconnecting visitors with the city’s natural and historical landscape.
Learning from Trees
By Andrew Barre Lab, Venice, Italy
Learning from Trees is a lightweight timber installation designed for the Italian Pavilion at the 2021 Venice Biennale. Built from 1.2 kilometers of CNC-milled timber, the structure forms a delicate lattice that appears woven but is precisely engineered for rapid assembly. Each timber piece was cut using a specialized CNC process that minimizes waste and eliminates the need for complex steel joints. The system relies on diamond-shaped profiles and hidden symmetries to simplify connections while maintaining structural strength. Originally part of a now-demolished state house, the reclaimed timber finds new life in this modular, low-carbon design. After the Biennale, the structure was disassembled without adhesives and is being permanently reinstalled in Italy, proving that precision fabrication can support both sustainability and reuse.
National Museum of Qatar Gift Shops
By KOICHI TAKADA ARCHITECTS, Qatar
Jury Winner, Retail, 8th Annual A+Awards
Inspired by the glowing gypsum crystals of Dahl Al Misfir, the National Museum of Qatar Gift Shops turn wood into an immersive sculptural experience. The design consists of 40,000 CNC-cut European oak pieces, each uniquely shaped to fit only in its precise location. Cut in Italy and assembled by hand in Qatar, the pieces were encoded with visual markers to guide their placement—like a massive three-dimensional puzzle. Without visible fixings, the structure forms a flowing, organic space that echoes the museum’s desert rose-inspired architecture. CNC technology allowed for extreme precision, transforming a complex concept into a tangible, functional interior that feels both intricate and natural.
IWI
By IWI Studio, Quito, Ecuador
IWI is a modular living space built with CNC-milled wood for precision, easy assembly and mass production. Designed to expand and contract, it shifts between a compact storage unit and a fully functional workspace, studio or relaxation area. The structure consists of two modules connected by a folding mechanism, allowing users to modify the space as needed. The back module acts as a built-in storage system with tables, chairs, shelves and essential utilities like lighting and water connections. The front module slides open, extending the accordion-like frame and fabric enclosure. CNC milling ensures every piece fits with accuracy, creating a flexible, efficient design that transforms spaces without wasting them.
Sauna in Teshikaga
By VUILD, Teshikaga, Japan
This tower-shaped sauna rethinks traditional bathhouse design through digital precision and advanced fabrication. Using a 5-axis CNC machine, solid cypress blocks were cut into free-form curves that shape both the interior and exterior. Each wooden piece is unique, designed to interlock with three-dimensional grooves that hold the structure together without traditional fasteners. Inside, a spiraling layout guides visitors through a gradual temperature shift, with warmth increasing as they ascend. Seating blocks double as structural supports, maximizing vertical space. Adjustable airflow and indirect lighting contribute to a controlled thermal experience. By merging CNC technology with ancient sauna principles, this project turns a simple ritual into an architectural journey of heat, light and form.
Cavilion
By Dahi Studio, Tehran, Iran
Cavilion is a bending-active pavilion built through CNC precision and computational design. Created as part of the DigiPy workshop, the project introduced students to digital fabrication, guiding them from concept to full-scale assembly. Using a 3-axis CNC machine, plywood components were cut with exacting accuracy, each piece uniquely shaped to fit into the pavilion’s flowing structure. Instead of relying on rigid frameworks, the design harnesses elastic deformation, allowing flat plywood strips to form a double-curved surface when assembled. Every part was labeled for easy construction, reducing complexity despite the intricate geometry. Built in just three days at the University of Tehran, Cavilion demonstrates how digital tools can streamline fabrication while embracing adaptability, efficiency and structural innovation.
Ashen Cabin
By HANNAH, Ashen Cabin
Ashen Cabin pushes digital fabrication to its limits, combining 3D-printed concrete with robotically milled wood to create a small but experimental structure. Its concrete foundation and walls are printed using a custom-built large-scale printer, forming corbeled surfaces that define key areas like seating, storage and a towering fireplace. The upper envelope, made from irregular ash logs, is cut with robotic precision to fit together despite their natural inconsistencies. This process turns wood once deemed waste — infested by the Emerald Ash Borer — into a durable and striking cladding system. By merging 3D scanning, CNC machining and robotic milling, Ashen Cabin rethinks traditional construction, proving that overlooked materials and cutting-edge technology can shape innovative architecture.
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The site for this small cabin lies in the heart of the Methow Valley, whose context and climate were key to the project’s design. The cabin serves as an outpost, realised prior to any other (larger) building, allowing the client to occupy the site much sooner. The design is essentially a 15’x22’ rectangle, slotted in the hillside with the south façade featuring large, glazed sliding doors that invite in the landscape. The interior is comprised of a single room that includes a kitchen, a living room and a bed, while the flat roof doubles as a deck for the summer months and holds the snow during winter for improved thermal mass.
The project is located within a forest close to the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. Following a series of economic constraints, the design aim was to create a small home that offered a functional space for weekend escapes while becoming integrated within the landscape. Consequently, local wood and metal were used to prop the house off the ground, taking advantage of the breathtaking views. In parallel, the interior is comprised of a linear, condensed layout that leads to a spacious balcony, while the overall building construction considered the humid climate of the region, opting for a low-energy consumption design.
Tsubomy House has a total footprint of 280 square feet and even includes a biscuit shop on the basement. The house is divided into seven split levels without partitions, all connected by a staircase that acts as the central core. Even though each individual level is small with barely enough room to place essential furniture, this open-plan vertical layout allows each room to feel spacious and interconnected. Additionally, the design accelerates the circulation and movement within the space and encourages impromptu social interactions.
The house is designed for four family members and is situated on a small 470 square feet plot. The surrounding urban context is made of small houses, factories and office buildings, thus forming narrow empty spaces fit for construction with limited natural light. Consequently, light and an open-plan layout were key factors to consider during the design process, with custom-designed openings in strategic orientation becoming the protagonists of the structure.
The house / shop is situated on a small elongated 440 square feet plot, amongst an array of two-storey residences. In order to respond to the challenging space, Studio Velocity designed a curved structure that stood out from the road and created residual exterior spaces, such as a garden, a dining and a parking area. In parallel, the more “public” functions such as the entrance and the reception were positioned in the narrow end of the plan, while the more private and concealed were situated at the back of the site. The shape and open-plan organization aimed at allowing the inhabitants to have uninterrupted views and circulation of the space in order to counter for its small footprint.
The house is for a young couple who run a vineyard and winery in Hokkaido. The interior is a continuous, open-plan space, subtly divided into functional areas through a change in level, to allow flow and movement. In parallel, the overall building volume is propped upon concrete blocks, giving the illusion that it is floating, while its exterior is clad with Corten steel for a more lightweight structure. This particular material gradually deteriorates over time, offering an interesting interplay in texture.
Perched on a steep, elevated site overlooking Mawhitipana Bay, this holiday home navigates challenging terrain and a dense canopy of protected P?hutukawa trees. With a brief focused on maximizing sun, views and outdoor living, the design required a careful approach to preserve the landscape while providing a functional retreat.
Set on a compact, irregular plot in a dense Riga neighborhood, this house navigates zoning constraints, proximity to neighbors and the challenge of fitting a functional home into a restricted footprint. To maximize space while preserving privacy, the architects arranged three wooden volumes around internal courtyards, ensuring light-filled interiors without exposure to surrounding houses.
Constrained by an extremely narrow plot in a small alley near a primary school, this house required a solution that maximized functionality without sacrificing comfort. Designed as a retreat for a mother and her young daughter, the project transforms spatial limitations into an architectural advantage through a treehouse-inspired structure.
Resting on the steep slope of a ravine, Shi House balances between grounding itself within the mountain and floating above it. The site’s challenge lay in its uneven terrain and the need for both structural stability and visual harmony within its dramatic landscape.
Situated in a dense urban district of Osaka, this project faced the challenge of securing light, ventilation and privacy on a long, narrow site surrounded by buildings. The house replaces the last remaining unit of a pre-war row house, continuing its legacy through a contemporary yet contextually rooted design.
Located on a steeply inclined site in Bellavista, OLVIA navigates complex topography while engaging with the public realm. Rather than imposing a walled-off boundary, the building steps down along the site’s natural slope, maintaining an open connection with the street and avoiding abrupt level changes.
Set within the fragile landscape of the Fleinvaer archipelago in northern Norway, this artist residency was designed with minimal intervention to preserve the untouched natural surroundings. Rather than imposing a single structure, the project is broken into separate buildings—each assigned to a specific function—carefully placed to follow the site’s topography.
Few hotels embrace lighting as aggressively as W Osaka, but then again, few cities offer a more fitting backdrop. From the moment guests step through the color-shifting entrance tunnel, lighting is used not as a supplement but as the primary decorative tool. The acrylic-paneled lobby is a nod to Osaka’s neon aesthetic, stripping out the visual noise but keeping the electric energy. Creative lighting design is everywhere you turn. In the WET Deck and bar, LEDs are fully integrated into walls and ceilings, transitioning from deep blues to vibrant pinks and violets and even the pool is a bold expression of lighting. In the guest rooms, the approach is more restrained but equally as well considered.
At the Harbin Creative Design Center, lighting is entirely integrated into the architecture. The space is made up of a series of overlapping “D” motifs, stacked and rotated and the lighting strategy follows suit. Recessed ceiling panels mirror the geometric logic of the interior, diffusing illumination and avoiding any harsh focal points. In lower areas, hidden lighting ensures surfaces are highlighted without visible fixtures, maintaining a clean look throughout. At the entrance, LED line lights and hose strips subtly highlight the glass brick archway. The building remains visible without resorting to overexposed façade lighting.
At Sphere, lighting is not a detail. It is the architecture. Inside and out. It’s bold and innovative, like the building itself. Everywhere is edged in strip light while pin lights, orbs and decorative features add to the layers. The reflective black flooring doubles the lighting effect, extending the perceived depth of the space. Food outlets are designed as self-contained glowing objects, ensuring visibility without introducing visual noise. Even wayfinding is integrated into the lighting. Everything is programmable, adaptable and engineered for immersion.
A 19th-century barracks is transformed into a teaching facility while preserving its historic perimeter walls. Instead of expanding outward, the new seven-story structure is built entirely within the existing shell, following strict urban design regulations that dictate its form and materiality.
The rehabilitation of the Convent Saint-François in Sainte-Lucie de Tallano preserves its 15th-century ruins while introducing a striking copper extension. Once a defensive stronghold and later a place of prayer, the historic structure had partially collapsed. Rather than reconstructing in stone, the new addition marks the lost portions with a lightweight, perforated copper volume that follows the outline of the original massing.
The modernization of the Wybrze?e Theater preserves its mid-20th-century structure while upgrading it for contemporary performance needs. Originally built on the ruins of a pre-war building, the theater required careful intervention to improve functionality without compromising its place in Gda?sk’s historic fabric.
An underused attic in a 19th-century Gründerzeit building was transformed into a series of contemporary apartments, adding density without altering the historic façade. Positioned 16 meters (52 feet) above ground, the new structures are nearly invisible from the street while offering panoramic city views.
This project transforms an old warehouse along Lisbon’s waterfront into a new residence while keeping the original industrial structure intact. Rather than replacing the existing building, a house is inserted within its walls, creating a striking contrast between the two forms. The large-scale warehouse remains as a protective shell, while the new residential volume is suspended within, supported by an independent steel structure.
The renovation of 712 Fifth Avenue’s retail space improves visibility of its landmarked René Lalique windows while updating the interior for contemporary use. Originally, upper-level catwalks allowed close viewing of the Art Nouveau glasswork but obstructed sight lines from below. Removing the third and fourth-floor catwalks increases natural light and opens views from the ground floor, while the second-floor catwalk remains with an added wheelchair lift for accessibility.
Harudot Café offers a fresh take on the A-frame, pulling apart its gabled forms to create a central courtyard where a bottle tree (baobab) rises through the architecture. This break-in structure reinforces the café’s theme of new beginnings, connecting built space with nature.
The smallest in a collection of family cabins, Bunkie on the Hill reinterprets the A-frame with a split roof design, where two intersecting gables create openings for framed views and natural light. Positioned atop a steep slope, the compact retreat offers a quiet escape from the larger cottages below.
Kujdane Cabin reinterprets the A-frame, splitting its iconic form with a vertical glass passage that introduces natural light and unexpected openness. Instead of sharp-angled corners, the structure adopts a softened, curved roofline, creating a distinct contrast with its traditional counterparts in the forests of northern Iran.
Designed as part of the SANU 2nd Home subscription service, this cabin responds to the growing need for remote work and time in nature. Its A-frame structure takes on a distinctive honeycomb-inspired form, reinforcing the frame while evoking mountain peaks.
Futtsu Weekend House reinterprets the A-frame with a fragmented, asymmetrical roof that extends dramatically toward the ground. Instead of a single triangular volume, the structure divides its roof into four sweeping sections, creating deep overhangs that shelter the home while framing views of the surrounding sea and mountains.
This dual A-frame retreat reworks the traditional form, linking two angular volumes through a central shared space. The connection creates both privacy and openness, allowing residents to experience the landscape from multiple perspectives. Dark, sharply pitched roofs contrast with floor-to-ceiling glass, framing expansive views of Bran’s forested surroundings.
This unique chapel transforms the A-frame into a sculptural composition of interlocking gables. The structure rises like a forest canopy, with walls that lean inward to avoid tree branches, creating a meditative enclosure. Unlike a traditional A-frame, which forms a singular pitched volume, this chapel multiplies and angles its forms, resulting in a rhythmic, faceted structure that channels light and air.