New Ways to Design and Build
According to the European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP), the construction of buildings in the EU consumes around 200 million mÂł of concrete annually. This accounts for over approximately 50% of materials, energy, and labour usage in the construction sector. Of this amount, the costs for formwork preparation can take up to 75%. The TailorCrete project has been launched to develop an integrated, automated process to enable cost-effective use of concrete in buildings that embody individualized solutions to challenges of function, climate, location, and aesthetics. TailorCrete will apply new digital design tools, on-site and off-site robotics, and automated formwork and reinforcement systems to bring concrete technology up-to-date with the potentials of contemporary architecture.
Š Paschal Danmark a/s
What is TailorCrete?
Design of buildings that surpass the technical and economic limits of present-day concrete technology and serve as test-cases throughout the project.
Architectural Cases
Design, engineering, an bench-scale testing of alternative roboticallyoperated formwork systems.
New Formwork Concepts
The TailorCrete project consists of ten interactive work streams, each drawing on the core expertise of its participating partners. TailorCrete is an initiative of the Danish Technology Institute and is being implemented together with partner organizations drawn from the public and private sectors within the EU and neighboring states. The project is part of a Europe-wide drive to transform the construction industry from materialintensive to knowledge-intesive and is funded by a multi-year grant from EU’s Seventh Framework Programme. The TailorCrete project commenced in 2009 and is scheduled for completion in 2013.
Design Tools
Development of computerized design tools to enable architects to formulate and apply innovative designs for robotic implementation in the field.
New Re Concep
Specificat assessme reinforcem and techn to robotic concrete.
-
Š designtoproduction
Simulation of concrete flows in relation to selected formwork and reinforcement types and development of optimal concrete composition.
Self Compacting Concrete
einforcement pts
tion and ent of ment materials, niques suitable cally formed .
Comparative life cycle analyses of projects designed and built using the TailorCrete process versus present-day craft methods.
Life Cycle Assessments
Digital Fabrication Techniques
The production and testing of full-scale robotic prototypes capable of implementing formwork and reinforcement.
Dissemination
Identification of possible barriers in European construction standards and codes. Suggestion of necessary modifications to relevant standards and codes.
Compliance
The announcement of the TC project results through channels including: websites, scientific papers, workshops, seminars and international conferences.
Application
The design and execution of a full-scale, concretebased architectural project demonstrating application of the TailorCrete process.
Š Johan Prinsback
nd
Be TailorCrete’s First! The resulting technology of 4 years’ of intense research will be applied to a real life project. TailorCrete proposes to make you a part of our team as a client and take your design problem and make it our showcase project.
Why TailorCrete? Prior to industrialization construction of a straight or curved wall were equally labor intensive. Industrialization, however brought with it a differentiation between the two, defining one as ‘standard’ and the other as ‘non-standard’. Standard shapes are more efficiently built, and if differentiations among elements are minimized, the final product is cheaper. Thus, until recently, production in all fields from textile industry to construction champions standardization as a design and operation mode. Within the last 15 years, however, a new set of very versatile design and production tools have been available to architects, which have triggered many experiments in optimization and shape making.. With our increased awareness of environmental responsibilities and worldwide economic downturn, ‘Non-Standard’ or ‘Optimized’ design and construction is slowly being recognized as a critical solution. Instead of standardization, optimization of designs and procedures for better efficiency and performance is becoming the new goal. With the available technology for evaluating designs based on a variety of criteria from acoustics to loadcarrying capacity; new industry tools that allow for fast manufacturing of customized elements; and a greater market interest in efficiency, optimization is the new driver.
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© designtoproduction
Denizli Municipality Buidling, Competition Project, design by Superpool, 2009, © Superpool
The Partners Lead Partners Danish Technological Institute (DTI). This independent, not-for-profit institute develops, applies, and disseminates technological information and know-how in the public and private sectors. DTI’s Concrete Center is one of Europe’s largest organizations providing expertise in self-compacting concrete, sustainable concrete, microstructure analysis, and the use of robots in concrete production. DTI’s Center for Robot Technology is the focal point for advanced robot development in Denmark. www.dti.dk Dragados. This Spanish construction company, part of ACS Group, is a large international contractor involved in building and civil works. The company has subsidiaries in Spain (Drace, FPS, SEIS, Geocisa, Tecsa, Dravosa), USA (DRAGADOS USA, Schiavone, Pulice Construction Inc., John P.Picone Inc.), Poland (Pol-Aqua), Argentina (DYCASA) and Venezuela (DYCVENSA). Dragados chairs the TC Steering Committee. www.dragados.com
Academic Institutes Chalmers University of Technology. The Concrete Structures Research Group of this Swedish University focuses on load-carrying capacity, stability, functional design, and durability of concrete structures. www.chalmers.se Czech Technical University. The University’s faculty of civil engineering brings to TailorCrete advanced expertise in construction technology and life-cycle analysis. www.cvut.cz ETH Zurich . ETH’s Professorship for Architecture and Digital Fabrication examines the changes that result from introducing digital fabrication techniques into architectural production and design. www.dfab.arch.ethz.ch University of Southern Denmark. The University’s Maersk McKinney Moller Institute specializes in research and development in the application of robotics for optimization of industrial and medical processes. www.sdu.dk 8
Czech Technical University
Private Sector Companies Bekaert. This Belgium-based international company is a long-time leader in drawn steel wire products, coatings, and advanced metal transformation technology. www.bekaert.com designtoproduction (D2P). This Swiss company specializes in the implementation of digital process chains. D2P is expert in implementing customized CAD-based parametric models for design and manufacturing. www.designtoproduction.com El Caleyo Nuevas TecnologĂas S.A. This Spanish company specializes in the manufacture of concrete and concrete components. The company maintains facilities for producing full-scale prototypes of architectural elements from digitally produced molds. www.elcaleyo.es Gibotech A/S. Is one of Denmark’s largest suppliers of advanced robotics and other automation solutions for industry. www.gibotech.dk Grace Bauprodukte GmbH. This German subsidiary of Grace Production Products provides concrete admixtures and fibres, products for architectural concrete, cement processing additives, and products for light and heavy precast concrete. www.grace.com Paschal Danmark A/S. This Danish supplier of formwork solutions provides technical drawings, calculations, on-site support, and hardware for all types of projects involving in-situ concrete. www.paschal.dk Superpool LTD. Is an Istanbul-based architectural and design practice with training and experience in developing customized design solutions in concert with engineering specialists. www.superpool.org Unicon A/S. This Danish company is a major producer of ready-mix concrete and has applied its experience in complicated concrete castings to numerous projects throughout Scandinavia. www.unicon.dk
Design & Planning While a design is taking shape architects, engineers and contractors are united around the goal of planning its execution. During the process each partner team has their own responsibilities.. A design is finalized when fabrication data for all of its components is ready and construction begins. For an efficient design process, TailorCrete aims to provide seamless communication and exchange between the different teams through the development of TailorCrete software plug-ins. Under the umbrella of one software, both real-time input for designers and detailed fabrication output for contractors will be possible.
Architect “I need a software to evaluate the curvature in my design... How can the design become more cost efficient?�
Initial Geometry
DESIGN
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Design
Engineer
Contractor
“I need a software to plan the formwork and reinforcement for these geometries... What is the optimal formwork solution?”
Optimized Geometry
DESIGN TOOL
“How can I calculate the exact cost? I need fabrication data for formwork and reinforcement.”
Specific Fabrication Data
PLANNING TOOL
Construction Formwork, reinforcement and concrete are essential components of concrete construction. TailorCrete aims to revolutionize the technology behind these components by introducing automated systems and on-site and off-site robotics. The sophistication of these automated systems will be varied to address different complexities of design. TailorCrete’s integrated software will evaluate any given design to help select the most efficient construction technique and provide the fabrication data required.
Formwork
Contractor “I need to build low, medium and high curvature.”
Formwork Fabrication Data
FORMWORK TECHNOLOGY
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Reinforcement
Concrete
Contractor
Contractor
“I need to fabricate complex reinforcement geometries.”
“I need a concrete composition suitable for complex formwork shapes.”
Reinforcement Fabrication Data
REINFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY
Concrete Specification
SCC TECHNOLOGY
r og skarpe hjørner. orstås som en elastisk flade, i hvilke tre punkter ’trykkes ned’. Under disse tre punkter e DESIGN e placeret. mbran havde samme grundform som den øverste, mens de tre forsænkede punkter var Structural Efficiency ed. Dermed opstod et designspace med en lille volumen ud mod membranernes kanter men under understøtningerne. The cost of a building’s structure is a high percentage in the overall budget therefore v topologioptimeret, idet det blev det forudsat, at pladekonstruktionen var simpelt efficiency in structure can become jlerne. an important saving. While providing economic advantages TailorCrete will also investigate the aesthetics of optimizing structural systems.
© Paschal Danmark A/S
Fig. 6 & 7: dobbeltkrum betonmembran og topo The Unikabeton Project, 2007-2009 Four TailorCrete partners (Danish Technological Institute, Paschal DanmarkPrototype: A/S, Gibotech A/S, Unicon A/S) participated in the research project Unikabeton. The project activities included researchDen endelige prototype er en fritstående beton on optimized architectural shapes,understøttet af tre indspændte søjler. Den over new formwork materials, Information © Paschal Danmark A/S m. Ribbepladen består af en 70 mm massiv beto Communications Technology, selfribbestruktur. compacting concrete and robotics. krum betonmembran og topologioptimeret ribbestruktur Som vist på fig. 7 og 8 genererede topologioptim “The full scale prototype of the Unikabetonproject is the world’s first topologyorganisk netværk af bøjningspåvirkede ribber. K optimized concrete structure. Carrying adobbeltkrumme ribber som i visse områder er f doubly curved, minimal surface concrete membrane, the flow of forces appears directly in the optimized ribbed structure. otype er en fritstående betonkonstruktion udformet som en afrundet ribbeplade simpe The prototype exemplifies the capacity e indspændte søjler. Den overdækker et areal på ca. 12 x 5,5 m og har en højde på ca. 3 for topology optimization to generate Unikabeton Janu rational structures within a high complexity estår af en 70 mm massiv betonmembran, der understøttes af en topologioptimeret © Paschal Danmark A/S
frame. In simple structural cases, a certain degree of optimization can be reached by empirical design and evaluation.”* However og 8 genererede topologioptimeringen en kompleks ribbeplade karakteriseret ved et in complex cases the task requires specific af bøjningspåvirkede ribber. Konstruktionen kan opfattes som et primært system af design and production tools.
bber som i visse områder er forstærket med sekundære ribber.
Bilag 5: En topologioptimeret konstruktion - fra de
© Paschal Danmark A/S
* http://fluxstructures.net/ 14
fig. 7: Topologioptimeret prototype. Per Dombernowsky & Asbjørn Søndergaard
Unikabeton Pavilion, Research Project, design by Per Dombernowsky and Asbjørn Sondergaard (Aarhus School of Architecture), 2010, © Paschal Danmark A/S
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Š Paschal Danmark A/S
DESIGN Customized Urban Outdoors “We have theories, specialisms, regulations, exhortations, demonstration projects. We have planners. We have highway engineers. We have mixed use, mixed tenure, architecture, community architecture, urban design, neighbourhood strategy. But what seems to have happened is that we have simply lost the art of placemaking; or, put another way, we have lost the simple art of placemaking. We are good at putting up buildings but we are bad at making places”*
© Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich
© Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich
TailorCrete will open up areas of public design that is restricted with limited budget, to allow communities larger aesthetic choices. Carefully detailed materials and customized designs will help create unique spaces and experiences. The Perforated Wall, ETH Zurich, 2006 Using digital fabrication methods that do not depend on repetition or uniformity, perforated wall elements can be produced with high differentiation. Through the differing orientations of several openings, permeable areas are created in the wall, their form and transparency changing continuously and gently along with the movement of the observer.
“sustainable placemaking” - Keynote speech by Bernard Hunt of HTA Architects, 22 February 2001 18
© Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich
© Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich
© Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich
The Perforated Wall, Elective Course at the Chair for Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich , 2006, Š Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich
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The Disintegrated Wall, Research Course at the Chair of Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich, 2007, Š Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich
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Benidorm West Beach Promenade Benidorm, Spain 2009
The 1,2 km long Benidorm West Beach Promenade acts with its organic form as a transition between the city and the sea shore. During 24 months TailorCrete partner Dragados coordinated the trial casts and the construction on site. High quality and durable finish of 4800 m² double curved concrete wall required the use of a special concrete mix and casting techniques. Š Dragados
DESIGN TOOL
€
€ €€ ARCHITECT “I need a software to evaluate the shapes in my design... What kind of formwork systems are available for these geometries? How can the design become more cost efficient?
€€
How will the formwork and gap patterns look like? What options do I have to modify them?”
€€ €€€
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The Real Time Design Tool developed by TailorCrete is a software plug-in that assists the architect during the design process. Giving real time interactive visual feedback, it helps to define the building geometry providing critical information about the formwork: cost, gap patterns, etc. Š Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich
MILLING ESTIMATES TIME & COST
PLANNING TOOL
Taken from DTI presentation 28/06/10, TBC.
Milling Parameters
Milling Estimates
Roughing tool path width tool path depth tool speed (m/sec) milling rate (m3/sec) Surface Finishing tool width tool speed surface finish rate (m2/sec) setup time / piece (mins) Machine cost (EUR/hr)
0.04 0.025 0.33 0.00033
0.04 0.33 0.0132 5 100
Low Curvature
Medium Curvature
(min radius 15m)
(min radius 5m)
163.30 10.25 173.55 17'355
82.49 5.91 88.40 8'840
20.12 1.26 21.38 0.80 37
17.61 1.26 18.88 3.20 37
Total for samples machine time, roughing (hrs) machine time, surface (hrs) total machine time (hrs) Total Machine Cost (EUR) Per Surface Area m2 machine time, roughing (mins) machine time, surface (mins) total machine time (mins) setup time (mins) Machine Cost / m2 (EUR)
Cost estimation for milled formwork
+ ENGINEER
TAILORCRETE WP02
Sample Geometry Studies, 12th July 2010
CONTRACTOR
“I need a software to plan the formwork and reinforcement for these geometries... What is the optimal formwork solution? How can I calculate the exact cost?
Required material blocks
I need fabrication data for formwork and reinforcement.”
Milled material blocks Low Curvature Formwork: 175 m³ Min. Bounding: 286 m³
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Medium Curvature Formwork: 88 m³ Min. Bounding: 140 m³
Low Curvature radius > 15m Footprint: 244m² Surface Area: 255m²
Medium Curvature radius < 15m Footprint: 137m² Surface Area: 152m²
Task 5.2, Planning Tool Goals » Wide range of control options » Expert fabrication user
Expert Knowledge Gramazio & Kohler, ETH Zurich Architecture and Digital Fabrication
Presenter: Silvan Oesterle
The Formwork Planning Tool developed by TailorCrete is a software that assists the engineer during the formwork planning process. For a given surface it automatically selects the best suitable formwork from a range of available types. It provides cost calculation and generates planning relevant data: plans, schedules, quantities... © designtoproduction
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Mercedes Benz Museum Stuttgart, Germany 2005
The double curved, smooth fair-faced concrete surfaces of UN Studio’s Mercedes Benz Museum are a striking reflection of its interior space. The complex geometry was however beyond the scope of existing formwork systems and manual planning methods. TailorCrete partner designtoproduction developed a method that enabled the assembly of the doubly curved formwork from planar boards. The panels – precisely pre-cut on a CNC-router – were bent to the desired shape in situ during the construction process, exploiting their elasticity. © designtoproduction
FORMWORK TECHNOLOGY digitally adjustable mould
Wax
Wax
DIGITAL MOULD Wax
CONTRACTOR “I need to build low and medium curvature.”
PRE-MOULDED FORMWORK ELEMENT
formwork on standard scaffolding tower
PLACING ON SITE 30
Pre-Moulded Formwork being developed by TailorCrete is a re-usable formwork system applicable to low and medium curved surfaces. It utilizes an adjustable mould to produce premoulded formwork elements, from a re-usable material. The production is a durable and low cost process. The material can be re-used numerous times, with low energy consumption. Š Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich
FORMWORK TECHNOLOGY
STANDARDIZED BLOCK OF MATERIAL
CONTRACTOR “I need to build medium and high curvature.”
MILLING OF FORMWORK
formwork on standard scaffolding tower
PLACING ON SITE 32
Milled Formwork examined by TailorCrete is a partly re-usable formwork system efficient in medium and high curvature surfaces. Different formwork materials (EPS, Casting Sand, Wax) can be milled according to required geometries. Depending on the milling tool and speed different surface textures can be achieved. Š Danish Technological Institute
FORMWORK TECHNOLOGY
TRIANGULAR TELESCOPIC GIRDER FORMWORK ON ADJUSTABLE SINGLE PROP SCAFFOLDING TOWER CONTRACTOR “I need to build low and medium curvature.” custom cut plywood triangles
adjusted telescopic girder system
PLACING ON SITE
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The Triangular Telescopic Girder Formwork being developed by TailorCrete is a partly reusable formwork system applicable to the construction of low and medium curvatures. A telescopic girder system of primary and secondary beams is placed on an adjustable single prop scaffolding tower. Through the vertical adjustment of single props a double curved surface can be achieved. The final layer is made of CNC cut plywood triangles, which is giving the surface a triangulated appearance. Š Superpool
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EPFL Learning Centre
Lausanne, Switzerland 2008
The large, double curved concrete slab of SANAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s EPFL Learning Center required a specific formwork solution. A smoothly curved surface of 7,500 sqm was constructed in combination with standard scaffolding components, using nearly 1,500 individual wooden boxes. TailorCrete partner designtoproduction automated the planning process, starting with a 3D-model of the slab surface, and resulting in detailed plans for all of the 1,500 formwork tables and the machine data for the CNC-cutting of almost 10,000 individual cleats. Š designtoproduction
REINFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY
HANDLING
CONTRACTOR “I need to fabricate complex reinforcement geometries.”
BENDING
PLACING ON SITE 38
Digital Fabrication Techniques for Steel Reinforcement developed by TailorCrete use automation and robots to produce complex steel geometries. Robots bend, place into position and weld the steel into stiff cages that are transported to site. Š University of Southern Denmark
CONTRACTOR
© Czech Technica University © Czech Technica University
“I need a concrete composition suitable for complex formwork shapes.”
© Czech Technica University
SCC TECHNOLOGY
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Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) is a widely used concrete type, that unlike conventional concrete, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require compacting using external force from mechanical equipment. Instead, SSC is designed in such as way that it gets compacted using its own weight and characteristics. Currently, the ready mix and prefab industry use SCC mainly for uncomplicated horizontal applications e.g. slabs on grade, foundations and facade elements. Horizontal castings are much easier to control than castings into vertical and complex shaped formworks. TacilorCrete will provide solutions for the execution of unique concrete structures with SCC. The research includes modelling of flow and experimental trial castings for verification. Š Danish Technological Institute
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Š Danish Technological Institute
CONTACT Mette Glavind Tel: +45 72 20 22 20 E-mail: mette.glavind@teknologisk.dk
www.tailorcrete.com