ABPL90378 DF_Lab: Bioreceptive Concrete by Girvan Christian Tenggono

BIORECEPTIVE CONCRETE [CNC]

DF_LAB

Girvan C Tenggono

917833

CONTENTS

Cover Page Contents Understanding

i ii 1

• Design Brief

• CNC Milling Exploration

• Arduino Exploration

Ideate

• Design Driver and Ideation

W1-2

W2-3

• Objectives

• Understanding Bioreceptivity

- Precedent Studies

Research

• Arduino Influenced System

• Structural System Options

• Cryptogamic Organisms

- Moss Types and Characteristic

- Growth Requirements

- Procedures to grow Moss

• Moss growth Experiment

• Bioreceptivity and Influencing Factors

- Material Property Factor

- Environmental Factor

- Facade Geometry

W3-4

W4-6

Design Development

• Micro: Groove- Different CNC Drill Bit Profiles

• Macro: Patterning

- Prototype Concrete Casting

- Further development

• Mega: Facade System

- Why moss?

- Volume Criteria

- Early iteration

- Form Iterations

- Arduino Application

- Single Unit

- Prototyping

Design Validation

• Water Retention and Movement

• Moss Growth Process and Results

• CFD/GH Simulations

• Mold Production

•

• Concrete Casting Iterations

Design Details

• 1 : 1 Scale Model

• Construction Details

• Cost and Value Comparison

• Visualisation Drawings

71 iii

_design brief

Week 1 Producing design brief Exploration on: • The extent and capabilities of CNC machining • Arduino functions in building facade

Preliminary Ideas/Aspirations 1. Improving city’s biodiversity with Arduino smart system - Inspiration: Falcon laying eggs on Melbourne Skyscrapers. 2. Interactive live facade signifying car park availability from afar. 3. Fostering passive surveillance on streets, improving hostile podium frontages. 4. What if podium facades can slow down wind tunneling drafts?

UNDERSTANDING

_arduino exploration

Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino boards are able to read inputs - light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a Twitter message - and turn it into an output - activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing something online. You can tell your board what to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board… “Equivalent of electronics.”

sketching

paper

How can we utilise digital fabrication + physical computing to create automated & low maintenance green facade system? Kurniawan (2021)

_cnc milling exploration

_design driver and ideation

Week 1

Design driver_Climate Change

Establishing:

1. Building industry is responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions worldwide.1

• Design Driver and Ideation

2. Of which 28% contributes from the heating and cooling load on the building

• Objectives

3. The rest 11% comes from the material and construction process. Found the bioreceptivity movement

4. Concrete alone is responsible for 8% of the total CO2 emissions due to its production process.2

• Research on idea + precedence

1 2

World Green building council , 2019 Lehne & Preston, 2018

IDEATE

_objectives

Design driver_Biodiversity 1. “There are about another 370 threatened species that share their range with urban areas across Australia, as well as countless “common” native species that call cities home.”1 2. However, urbanisation largely consists of removing native vegetation.

CO2 REDUCTION 1

DUST REMOVAL

COOLING EFFECT

Soanes & Lentini, 2019

BIODIVERSITY

_design driver and ideation

_precedent studies

The Future of Architecture: Moss, Not Mirrors • theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/12/ bioreceptive-buildings/418620/ • slideshare.net/UKCIP/bioreceptive-design • richard-beckett.com/bioreceptive-designfeatured-on-bd/ • slideshare.net/UKCIP/integrating-gi-into-thearchitecture-and-fabric-of-a-building-a-new-eraof-environmental-design-solutions • syndebio.com/bioreceptive-facade/

• The idea is that ultimately they’ll be able to build buildings onto which a variety of these plants can grow.

From impure to Bio-reclaimed • Creating architecture as medium where nature can grow • Addressing the conflicting ideas of beauty: Romantic past on statue growth, yet Cryptogams are generally viewed as an impurity and parasitic, despite its role in ecology and biodiversity. Bioreceptivity aims to allow living organisms to colonise in given materials,

• Marcos Cruz, one of the directors of the BiotA lab, says that he has long been interested in what he sees as a conflicted way of thinking about buildings and beauty • Richard Beckett, another director of the BiotA lab, says that he’s interested in the project flipping the usual way that buildings are designed, at least in a small way. • “It’s about controlling it so people think it’s attractive,” says Richard Beckett, another director of the lab.

_understanding bioreceptivity

Precedence

Precedence CityTree by Green City Solutions in London • dezeen.com/2018/03/21/moss-covered-citytree-benchcombats-urban-pollution-london-uk/ • greencitysolutions.de/en/

Teracotta Foliosa: Lichen Facade Bricks richard-beckett.com/teracotta-foliosa-lichen-facadebricks/

• Interlocking brick facade which houses lichen to grow

• Cleans the air equivalent to the work of 275 trees • Extracts particulate matter (PM) - soot, dirt and other pollutants from the air. • Bacteria living on the moss digests PM • Each CityTree costs 22,000 Euros • Built in solar powered unit, rainwater collection system, nutrient tank and irrigation system • “The ability of certain moss cultures to filter out and absorb air pollutants such as particulates and nitrogen dioxide makes them ideal air purifiers – but in towns and cities where air pollution presents the greatest challenge, mosses are barely able to survive, due to their need for constant water and shade,”

Subculture: Microbial Metrics and the Multi-Species City storefrontnews.org/archive/exhibition/2010s/2018/ subculture-microbial-metrics-and-the-multi-species-city/

• Microbes exhibited as a part of the facade system

_precedent studies

Precedence Researchers develop “biological concrete” for moss-covered walls dezeen.com/2013/01/03/spanish-researchers-developbiological-concrete-for-moss-covered-walls/

• Applocation of moss wall for a building facade system

Conclusion: We adopted the idea of bioreceptive as we see that i fits with our design goals There is a room to improve the proposed project further, that we have not seen in the precedence. Whis is to incorporate the digital into the system, answering our initial question to utilise digital fabrication + physical computing to create automated & low maintenance urban cryptogam facade system

_precedent studies

_arduino influenced system

Week 1

Arduino Powered Moss&Solar Facade Element

Exploration on: • Utilising digital fabrication + physical computing to create automated & low maintenance urban cryptogam facade system

- Arduino

- structural system options

instructables.com/Ardunio-powered-MossSolarFacade-Element/

Research on Cryptogamic organism

Week 2 Research on: • Moss Growth and propagation • Bioreceptivity and influencing factors

The system would detect environmental change and shade the moss from the sun

RESEARCH

_structural system sptions

Kurniawan (2021)

• Complex two layered facade

• Need further exploration on CNC

• Moss not visible from street level

• Uncertainty on moss growth

• Offers complete protection

• Material exploration is needed • Further exploration is done due to the simplicity of the system to achieve growing environment 17

_structural system sptions

Moss Species in the Melbourne CBD • Funaria hygrometrica, P. juniperinum and Marchantia polymorpha: primary colonisers after a fire (Bradbury 2006; Gibson 2006) • Cryptogams are the group of lower plant species which lacks true stems, roots, leaves, flowers, or seeds; propagating by spores.

• Bryum argenteum, B dichotomum, Barbula calycina and Didymodon torquatus: as part of soil crusts in arid and semi-arid habitats (Eldridge 1999).

• Cryptogams account for 7% of Global Terrestrial CO2 absorption (Max Planck Institute, 2012) Why moss?

• Tortula muralis & Bryum agenteum are pollution resistant & prefer growing on base-rich substrate, like limestone, concrete, bricks and other calcareous rocks (Fletcher, 1995)

• Grow on stony surfaces • Saxicolous mosses grows on walls and other man-made rock-like surfaces (David, 2015). • Tolerate long dry periods in extreme hot dry seasons (Ónody et al., 2016). • Desiccation tolerance: grow back in the presence of water (Marschall, 2017) • Traps more PM than leaves from the native tree on a dry weight basis. Up to 3x due to its structure (Haynes et al., 2019) • Photosynthesise during winter due to its evergreen nature

_cryptogamic organism

_moss growth experiment

Moss propagation method + specimens 1. Gather moss from outside or from a nursery 2. Pour 2 c (470 mL) of water and 2 c (470 mL) of buttermilk in a blender 3. Fill the blender up with crumbled moss. 4. Pulse the blender to blend the ingredients into a thick mixture. 5. Pour the mixture on surfaces like brick, stone, pots, or fences. 6. Water the moss daily for the next 2 to 3 weeks to establish it.

wikihow.life/Grow-Moss#:~:text=Pour%202%20c%20(470%20mL,get%20 your%20moss%20smoothie%20started.&text=You%20can%20also%20use%20 plain,you%20don’t%20have%20buttermilk.

Carpet Moss

Bryopsida / True Moss 21

Lichen (discovered not a moss) 22

_bioreceptivity and influencing factors Experiment findings • Large Clumps: Tolerates drier environment longer

1. Material Factors:

• Cleaner mix make better observations • Watering +wind moved the soil around • Small amount of growth is observed • Mix species together to increase success rate

Growth Medium

• Small Clump: Propagates faster

• Rough stony surface holds the mix better achieved by

Cement Mix

• Observation might need more time

_moss growth experiment

_bioreceptivity and influencing factors

2. Environmental Factors

Facade Geometry Literature

3. Facade Geometry

Mustafa, 2020

All of the necessary factors are to be factored in for the production of the facade system • Material - Concrete Mix Mega

• Environmental - Facade System

• Water retention/catchment • Slow water movement

• Channeling water

• Facade Geometry - Facade members + System

• Nutrient accumulation

• Cushion growth

• Shading

• Anchorage facility

• Shading (minor)

Micro

Macro

Wind

buffer

• Wind buffer

_bioreceptivity and influencing factors

_micro: drill bits Exploration on micro pattern is done to see which drill bits and milling route has higher water retention through water speed reduction

The micro is required for

Week 2 - 3

• Housing moss

Applying research to design. Exploration on: • Micro (Drill bits)

• Retaining water

This allows the propagation of moss through moisture and water

• Macro (Surface pattern) • Mega (Facade System) Refining

V-Mill

• Casting iterations

Flatmill Downcutter

• Arduino application 60°

45°

30°

4.76mm 6.35mm 8.00mm 12.00mm Ballnose Chipbreaker

30°+4.76mm_6mm Spacing

30°+4.76mm_4mm Spacing

30°+4.76mm_2mm Spacing

60°+45°_0mm Spacing

60°_2mm Spacing

60°_0 Spacing

45°+4.76mm_6mm Spacing

45°+4.76mm_4mm Spacing

45°+4.76mm_2mm Spacing

60°+30°+45°_0 Spacing

60°+45°+30°_0 Spacing

30°+60°_0 Spacing

60°+4.76mm_6mm Spacing

60°+4.76mm_4mm Spacing

60°+4.76mm_2mm Spacing

45°+30°_0mm Spacing

45°_2mm Spacing

45°_0 Spacing

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

_macro: surface pattern The macro is required for • Channeling water • Buffering wind speed

Grasshopper Image Sampliing

Exploration on macro iterations are made and selected on the basis of: • Water flow • Surface roughness (to mitigate wind)

Applying published parameter

Kangaroo Displacement Ripples

Drill bits milling attempt. The suitable milling paths are the one marked as above. Deduction: 2mm Spacing allows water to better run down the surface and slip into the cavities. 2mm Spacing is similar to Step-over % setting on CNC Milling 29

selected method 30

_micro: drill bits

Base Panel Creation

_macro: prototype concrete casting Prototype concrete casting is done to apply research on cement mix and exploration on micro and macro.

Input parameter (volume ripples)

Later, moss will be propagated on the created panels.

Generated Geometry

Mold making using 2 axis CNC

_macro: selected method

_macro: prototype concrete casting

• Mold was covered with vaseline to ease removal • Results were brushed off and pressure washed

Achieved Micro Macro result.

Propagation is done on these panels to be observed later 33

_macro: prototype concrete casting

_macro: further development

Digital Attempt to Control Direction

Surface to Volume

• Successfully adjusted direction rather than fully randomised pattern

• Successfully wrapped surface to volume

• This removes the possibility of ponding (which inhibits the moss growth) and allows water to be directed into specific spots

• Finer adjustment to the macro grooves + control where the macro stops wrapping the mega

- For time and material efficiency

• Increases growth medium

_macro: further development

_mega: volume criteria

Shading

1sqm Wind protection

1m sq of a moss wall cleans the air equivalent to the work of 25 trees (Splittgerber & Saenger, 2015)

Architecturally cost friendly, resilient and light (compared to plants)

Traps more PM than leaves from the native tree on a dry weight basis (Haynes et al., 2019)

Raises awareness moss + cryptogam

on Growth Surface Macro + Micro

How to bring previous research to uncharted territories: Creating a system that allows suitable growth environment for the moss Anywhere + Anytime

_mega: why moss?

Cone input

Cylinder input

_mega: early iteration

Cone input

Cone+cone input

Cylinder input

Sphere input

Early iteration of the facade relies on rotating the panel to achieve the parameters. The result is pushed further as it has not demonstrated how the facade can be a part of a holistic system, rather than a system of panels

_mega: early iteration

_mega: form iterations 2

Method

• Hidden gearbox Fixed to RHS Frames lifting the facade up

• System of motor and belts fixed to RHS frames to push and tilt the panels

Pros

• Simplicity of system

• Street visual connection

• More ability to control individual panel

Cons

• Parameters unachieved

• Embodied energy offsets the benefits of using moss

_mega: form iterations 1

_mega: form iterations 4

Method

• Rotating base with step motor and fixed top

• Rotating base and ball jointed top

• Interconnected members in 2D

• Interconnected members in 3D

Pros

• Allows flexibility in moss growth (blurred shaded and unshaded area). Reduces the chance of failure on all side

• Ability to move in more axis

• Achieves parameter

all

the

Cons • Difficulty in achieving precise movement in each panel • Little growth area

• Dense facade

members

the on

Cons Chosen iteration as it achieves all of the volume criteria

• Concrete ball joint might fail + difficult to cast

all

• Concrete ball joint might fail + difficult to cast

_mega: form iterations 3

_mega: fixing and arduino applications Universal ball joint swivel connection • Allowing member’s fluid movement

High torque low speed stepper motor

Linear stepper motor • Additional vertical movement to allow the ball and socket joint to bend

Temperature + Humidity Sensor • High humidity

: expose

• High temperature: shade

The result is pushed further based on the midterms feedback.

Light Sensor

Relationship to the building and how it performs as a facade system is also explored further.

Moving on progress will be done on rationalising the casting, fabrication and movement. 45

• Strong direct sunlight: shade

Controlled by

• Introduces rotational movement

_mega: selected iteration early render

_mega: prototyping Moving Mechanism

Belt: Carries movement to other members

Custom Rotating Top Joint

C u s t o m Rotating Top Joint (SHS, Threaded Rod, Hex Nuts)

Step Motor: Rotational Movement Hydraulic Pistons: Vertical Movement

Movement Diagram 2400

Protective Rotation

Lady Suzan Rotation Bottom Plate

Spandrel Unit

120

Rotation (shading) 47

Bending to increase surface complexity (shading + wind break) 48

_mega: single unit

_water retention performance

Week 3 • Water Retention and Movement • Moss Growth Process and Results • CFD/GH Simulations as facade systems • Mold Production

Week 4 • Further mold production • Concrete Casting Iterations

100 gram increase 100 gram increase 100 gram increase

0 gram increase

Rounded surface is observed to hasve an increased surface tension area. Therefore allowing better water retention abiility. Water movement on the last panel is too direct. water is ot retained on the surface as the weight of the panel did not increase.

DESIGN VALIDATION

_moss growth process and results

15 Jan

18 Jan

20 Jan

21 Jan

25 Jan

27 Jan

29 Jan

01 Feb

03 Feb

05 Feb

08 Feb

10 Feb

Estimated time for algae appearance 8-12 weeks and moss growth 18-20 weeks (Mustafa, 2020)

Visible growth patches on 01 Feb, however, due to weather fluctuation the colony died off 51

This shows the importance of having a facade system that can allow movement to accomodate to the fluctuating weather. Allowing moss growth to be maximised . 52

_moss growth process and results

_CFD/GH simulations

Section along Swanston Street

Larger concrete shell offsets the prevailing wind. Creating a more suitable environment for moss growth Section along Flinders Lane

Section along Flinders Lane

_CFD/GH simulations

_mold productions

Step 1: Casting Bodies (Cure for 2 days)

Step 2: Casting Heads (Cure for 2 days)

Step 3: Repeat (X4)

Threaded Rod (Joints reinforcement)

Wooden Dowels (Fix lateral movement)

Form works (Recycled foam)

Mold creation. Several iteration are made, however, under the same principle: casting the head first which is followed by the body. The mold design is simplified as casting goes

Resin 3D printed cap for the ball joint, to allow smoother movement 55

_mold productions

_concrete casting iteration 1 27-29 Jan • Satisfactory Preliminary Result • Styrofoam ball is inserted as an attempt to reduce the member’s weight • For next iteration formwork would instead. This is done milling time and creation.

styrofoam be used to reduce formwork

• Missing Detail + Lack of Concrete due to lack of concrete inside of formwork 3D printed facade members Members are 3D printed to visualise the final form and the chaining of the units

_concrete casting visualising

_concrete casting iteration 3

1-3 Feb

3-5 Feb

• Updated casting Balloon removed

method

• Ball + Socket casted • Unsatisfactory result • Overly compacted aggregate • Ball + Socket was not able to be casted broke off • Shell need to be reinforced using mesh

• Unsatisfactory Result • Broken Parts due to: • Balloon floats resulting in visible cavities

• Air bubble prevented the • Socket is 3D printed and ready to concrete to fill up mold fully. be casted in • Broken members will need dowels for connecting points and support 59

_concrete casting iteration 2

_concrete casting iteration 5

5-8 Feb

8-10 Feb

• Satisfactory Result • Surfaces evenly finished

• Ball + Socket was not able to rotate due to tolerance issue

• Fill mold on each side resolved parts that is not casted

• Ball + Socket casted with wire mesh reinforcement • 1st attempt at connecting 2 bodies together

_concrete casting iteration 4

shell breaks apart • Connection failure due to the 3d print being too thin, the concrete formwork was pressed together too tightly

• Socket connected to base, however • Strength is feasible, however, due to 61

the time constraint the project have to proceed with casting the ball and socket together.

DESIGN DETAILS

_1 : 1 scale model 10 - 26 Feb

Week 4-6 • 1 : 1 Scale Model • Construction Details • Cost and Value Comparison • Visualisation Drawings

- interior perspective

- exterior perspective

• 8 pieces of the bodies are casted • Steel members are cut, welded and separately sanded in the meantime • Bodies are connected together by the • Lazy susan is put on the bottom as the head with the formwork rotating mechanism 63

_1 : 1 scale model

10 - 26 Feb

• Members are propped horizontally and connected together on the table

_1 : 1 scale model

• Members broke off in 2 spots as they’re • Structural epoxy is used to attach moved to be secured in place the pieces. Load is going in vertical direction, so the members won’t • The piece broke with and without the separate once the epoxy sets. dowel

• Top connecting member is casted into the top head 65

_1 : 1 scale model

68 67

_project cost Goal Concrete Casting + Testing Heritage facade Custom welded bottom connection

Formwork

Concrete Shell Stepper Motor

Facade Member

Bottom Plate Street Frontage

1:1 Model frame Concept attempt

Moss propagation

Type

Essentials Petroleum 20 kg 20 kg 20 kg

Job 573

Amount 1 1 2 2 4 5 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 2

Ea Cost/$ Total 2.74 2.74 8.5 8.5 2.75 5.5 7.7 15.4 7 28 6.6 33 6.85 6.85 2.4 2.4 50 50

Threaded Rod

Job 594 Job 599 Job 603 Job 614 Job 643 20 Balloon Porta 16mm Tasmanian Oak 1.8m SS316 6mmx1.2m 8mmx1.2m (Stainless Steel)

Threaded Rod

8mmx1.2m (Galvanized)

5.75

Threaded Rod Lazy Susan Bearing Plate Small 2D Iteration Socket V1 Socket V2 Buttermilk 600mm Blender

8mmx1.2m (Galvanized) 300mm 225kg 196090 196364 196701

1 1 1 1 1

5.75 15 10 18.52 22.24

2 1

2.1 20

4.2 20

Dowel Threaded Rod

Zincalume Steel Facade

Custom welded top connection

Item Vinegar 2L Silicone spray Vaseline Type GB Cement Concrete sand Gravel ph 4.5-9.0 Litmus Paper x 80 ph 1-14 Litmus Paper x 100 XPS - Mold Micro Groove XPS - Mold XPS - Mold Polysterene Polysterene Balloon

7.9 85.8 86.8 57 56.18 2

7.9 85.8 86.8 57 56.18 4

1 1

8 8

13.65

466.07

Total

Extra (Remaining) Type GB Cement Concrete sand Gravel 69

20 kg 20 kg 20 kg 70

1 1 1

7.7 7 6.6

7.7 7 6.6 21.3

_technical drawings

72 71

_exterior perspective _interior perspective