The book 'Automated Landscapes' examines a series of work environments at the forefront of automation – from dairy farms and greenhouses to factories and data centers in the Netherlands and China's Pearl River Delta.

The possibility of automating human labor has captured society's imagination for centuries, yet its full-scale implementation only became a reality in the early 21st century. Automation has the power to disrupt labor markets and dictate the design and occupation of entire territories, a concern widely discussed in the fields of economics, logistics and the general media. Despite its significance, the architecture discipline has often overlooked the socio-ecological, political and spatial consequences of automation, focusing instead on using automated technologies for fabrication.

Automated Landscapes examines a series of work environments at the forefront of automation-from dairy farms and greenhouses to factories and data centers in the Netherlands and China's Pearl River Delta. Through a combination of original material, including the documentation of nine sites, along-side previously published articles, events, site visits and exhibitions, this publication illustrates the evolution of arguments around automated labor explored throughout five years of research. Furthering contemporary debate, Automated Landscapes debunks the myth that automation replaces people with machines, revealing that human bodies remain present in assembly and supply lines, albeit performing different tasks and governed by the rhythms of automation.

Furthering contemporary debate, this publication debunks the myth that automation replaces people with machines, revealing that human bodies remain present in assembly and supply lines, albeit performing different tasks and governed by the rhythms of automation. The book presents the results of the Nieuwe Instituut’s research project 'Automated Landscapes', developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment of TU Delft, Aformal Academy Shenzhen, and the Royal College of Art London.

Graphic design by Hans Gremmen

The book 'Automated Landscapes' examines a series of work environments at the forefront of automation – from dairy farms and greenhouses to factories and data centers in the Netherlands and China's Pearl River Delta.

The possibility of automating human labor has captured society's imagination for centuries, yet its full-scale implementation only became a reality in the early 21st century. Automation has the power to disrupt labor markets and dictate the design and occupation of entire territories, a concern widely discussed in the fields of economics, logistics and the general media. Despite its significance, the architecture discipline has often overlooked the socio-ecological, political and spatial consequences of automation, focusing instead on using automated technologies for fabrication.

Automated Landscapes examines a series of work environments at the forefront of automation-from dairy farms and greenhouses to factories and data centers in the Netherlands and China's Pearl River Delta. Through a combination of original material, including the documentation of nine sites, along-side previously published articles, events, site visits and exhibitions, this publication illustrates the evolution of arguments around automated labor explored throughout five years of research. Furthering contemporary debate, Automated Landscapes debunks the myth that automation replaces people with machines, revealing that human bodies remain present in assembly and supply lines, albeit performing different tasks and governed by the rhythms of automation.

Furthering contemporary debate, this publication debunks the myth that automation replaces people with machines, revealing that human bodies remain present in assembly and supply lines, albeit performing different tasks and governed by the rhythms of automation. The book presents the results of the Nieuwe Instituut’s research project 'Automated Landscapes', developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment of TU Delft, Aformal Academy Shenzhen, and the Royal College of Art London.

Graphic design by Hans Gremmen