Craftsmanship in Transition: A Methodology for Dry-Stone Construction

Craftsmanship encodes generations of tacit knowledge embedded in materials, gestures, and contextual decision-making. Today, this knowledge is slowly disappearing due to digitization, industrialization, and the erosion of apprenticeship systems. Within the broader research Craftsmanship in Transition, this project focuses on dry-stone wall construction, a technique deeply rooted in the Swiss landscape, settlements, and cultural identity. It investigates how relationships between material, tool, and body shape construction knowledge, and how these processes can be recorded, analyzed, and translated into digital frameworks able to sustain their transmission within architectural practice. The methodology unfolds in five phases: (1) development of a conceptual and practical framework; (2) definition of recording parameters—material interaction, tool use, gesture, decision-making, and environmental context; (3) field documentation through 3D scanning, motion capture, gaze tracking, and speech analysis; (4) creation of a structured, open-access digital archive; and (5) on-site application within teaching and design. The expected outcome is a pilot digital archive that translates embodied craft knowledge into reusable design data, contributing to the integration of traditional construction intelligence into open, contemporary architectural research.