Rumoer 69: Digital Making | BouT | TU Delft

periodical for the Building Technologist

69. Digital Making

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Our 120 engineers join forces every day and work together with our customers on the challenges of tomorrow. We are a distinctive engineering firm that looks just a little differently against the challenges we face as a society. Challenges such as climate change, depletion of raw materials, sustainability, digitization, aging society and urbanization have an impact. Impact on how we feel, move and manifest. On how we experience the world around us.

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RUMOER 69 // DIGITAL MAKING 4th Quarter 2018 24th year of publication Praktijkvereniging BouT Room 02.West.090 Faculty of Architecture, TU Delft Julianalaan 134 2628 BL Delft The Netherlands tel: +31 (0)15 278 1292 fax: +31 (0)15 278 4178 www.praktijkverenigingbout.nl rumoer@praktijkverenigingbout.nl instagram: @bout_tud PRINTING www.druktanheck.nl ISSN number 1567-7699 CREDITS Edited by: Article editing:

COVER IMAGE:

CIRCULATION: The RUMOER appears 3 times a year, with more than 150 printed copies and digital copies made available to members through online distribution.

MEMBERSHIP Amounts per academic year (subject to change): € 10,Students € 30,PhD Students and alumni € 30,Academic Staff SINGLE COPIES: Available at Bouw Shop (BK) for 5€.

SPONSORS Praktijkvereniging BouT is looking for sponsors. Sponsors make activities possible such as study trips, symposia, case studies, advertisements on Rumoer, lectures and much more.

For more info contact BouT: info@praktijkverenigingbout.nl If you are interested in BouT’s sponsor packages, send an e-mail to: finances@praktijkverenigingBouT.nl

Valeria Piccioni Erron Estrado Javier Montemayor Leos Prateek Wahi Tania Cecilia Cortés Vargas Valeria Piccioni Yarai Mariam Zenteno CeramicInformation Pavilion: © Christian J. Lange & Donn Holohan

RUMOER is the official periodical of Praktijkvereniging BouT, student and practice association for Building Technology (AE+T), at the Faculty of Architecture, TU Delft (Delft University of Technology).

This magazine is spread among members and relations.

DISCLAIMER The editors do not take any responsibility for the photos and texts that are displayed in the magazine. Images may not be used in other media without permission of the original owner. The editors reserve the right to shorten or refuse publication without prior notification.

INTERESTED TO JOIN? The Rumoer Committee is open to all students. Are you a creative student that wants to learn first about the latest achievements of TU Delft and Building Technology industry?

Come join us at our weekly meeting or email us @ rumoer@praktijkverenigingbout.nl

CONTENT General 5

Digital Making: A Manufacturing Revolution Tania Cecilia CortĂŠs Vargas

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Events overview

Articles

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38

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(TU DELFT) Technoledge Design Informatics Serdar Asut

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(ENGINEAR) How Enginear helped me in finding a job with extremes! - Lisa Gritter

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(CURVEWORKS) Composite materials and adaptive tooling technology to shape architecture - Tahira Ahmed

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(HKU) CeramicInformation Pavilion Christian J. Lange, Donn Holohan

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FabField: a new approach to building service design - Matteo Santangelo

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(ETH ZURICH) Digital Metal Mania Aghei Meibodi

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(TU DARMSTADT) New material systems for 3D printing - Christian Borg Costanzi, Robert Akerboom, Dennis de Witte

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(BOUT) BouT study trip 2018 Shweta Kamble

Digital making

EDITORIAL Dear reader, The second quarter of the academic year has just started and we have welcomed 64 new students to the Building Technology master’s programme. BT is becoming more and more international with over 20 different nationalities! Having the chance to share experiences with people of such a varied background really is an added value to our time at TU Delft.

BouT welcomed new recruits as well, growing to 25 committee members. From our side, Rumoer had to say goodbye to former editor-in-chief Pim Buskermolen, who has valuably contributed to the magazine during the past two years. Thank you for sharing your experience and guiding me to take on the lead of Rumoer. Good luck with the end of your studies and your career! At the same time, the committee welcomed four new members: Prateek, Javier, Tania and Yarai. It’s a pleasure to see our committee growing and I am sure that Rumoer will by enriched by your contribution!

Rumoer committee 2018-2019

From companies, graduation theses and academic research, the articles of this issue show how advancements in technology are suggesting new ways to regard materials, components and building techniques in architecture.

In this edition we feature academic contributions from TU Delft as well as from partner universities in the world such as The University of Hong Kong, TU Darmstadt and ETH Zurich. In the future, we hope to expand Rumoer’s network even further as a means of promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing in the field of building technology.

For our 69th publication, DIGITAL MAKING, we had a look at the latest achievements in the field of robotics, digital fabrication and parametric design.

Valeria Piccioni Editor-in-chief Rumoer 2018-2019

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What if‌ FIRE AND SMOKE HAD NO CHANCE.

Every fire is a disaster, with a significant loss of valuable property and possibly the loss of life. Most of those affected (about 70%) are victims of the highly dangerous smoke and fumes, which transmit heat, reduce visibility, and contain toxic substances. Wisely chosen building materials will significantly reduce the potential risks.

Since 1942, we have been manufacturing FOAMGLASÂŽ Cellular Glass Insulation, refining our technology, to produce high-quality insulation materials which are used throughout the building envelope. Our Slab insulations do not contribute to the fire; they are non-combustible, with no smoke, toxic fumes, or droplets.

Visit www.foamglas.nl to read more about its fire protection and other unique properties.

BouT

Digital Making sketches to detailed technical effects A Manufacturing Revolution Column by Tania Cortés Vargas

Revolutions in manufacturing have shaped the history of technology since the early stages of humanity. The steam engine, followed by the mass-production model in the early twentieth century, and most recently, the first automation wave in the 1970s are some of the most important examples. These revolutions are closely related to the massive growth of worldwide economies, along with a series of social, cultural, and political changes. In the last thirty years, the world has seen the uprising of Digital Making. Such refers to the linkage of disparate systems and processes, from design to final production, through digital technologies.

“Each time the architectural production technology changes, then architecture changed as well”, stated Argues Conrad Wachsmann in the late 50s. This Digital Making revolution has brought changes to the value chain of Building Technology and Architectural Design.

CAD/CAM manufacturing technologies allow the user to have a final view of the outcome even before the construction; 1:1 prototypes are easily built in a few hours, and custom-made production is possible while still following mass production techniques. Slowly, the classical design process is being transformed into a synergistic virtual system. Constant collaboration between disciplines has transformed the workflow while incorporating digital models with higher precision.

An important change in design and construction is being faced today: because Digital Making has allowed for higher precision and tolerances, designs are becoming much more complex. A faster construction time, with a lower cost, and at a higher efficiency are some of the

three important impacts that this new manufacturing has brought to the Built Environment. Moreover, there seem to be many societal challenges. Digital Making started as a high-end technology, only available for a small, mostly technical, audience. Today, many users have gained access to 3D desktop printers, opensource software, and many DIY projects that involve this technology. As many sociologists might refer to this, it has been ‘slowly democratized’. The excess of current industrial economies, processes and breakthroughs in batch fabrication technologies have enabled users to gain access to these new technologies. How are these constant changes in technology affecting the Built Environment? And what are the upcoming challenges we will face as Building Technologists in the future?

This issue of Rumoer focuses on the different scales and technologies of digital manufacturing. It also shows a reflection of how technology, and its democratization, has shaped modern construction. Moreover, it aims to show how Digital Making has changed the way materials are conventionally used. Would we ever imagine that it was possible to 3D print wood? Or that is was possible to combine vernacular techniques with Digital Making?

From design to production, the new collaboration between humans and machines have changed the Built Environment. Today, one of the most important means of progress is technology, and in an era where it progresses incredibly fast, it is important to understand its different impacts on all scales. Understanding the correct applications on Digital Making in the Built Environment will allow us, as Building Technologists, to contribute positively in this technological change.

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Figure 1. The split shell built in Czasoprzestrzeń

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Technoledge Design Informatics An embodied approach to teach digital making

By Serdar AĹ&#x;ut

How do we teach digital fabrication? More precisely, how do we introduce the principles of computer assisted fabrication as a topic beyond machine operation towards an academic and intellectual content? This is one of the main challenges that I try to tackle in the Technoledge Design Informatics course in which I have been participating since February 2015 and coordinating since September 2017.

Background The challenge is based on my hypothesis which suggests that we need teaching tools and methods which enable the students to experience the entire process of digital making through implicit, tacit and intuitive means. Fair enough, this suggestion addresses certain profound phenomenological approaches in the realm of one’s bodily engagement with the material world in the execution of designerly tasks. These approaches can help us to better understand how the digital can become a part of the material world in an educational context.

Latour and Yaneva claim that an architect has to be equipped with diverse tools which are the aids of imagination and instruments of thinking tied to the body (Latour & Yaneva, 2008). This argument, which can very easily be extended to include engineers and designers in different fields, is rooted on the phenomenological perspective of Merleau-Ponty. He suggests the concept of embodied perception to illustrate the links between the mind and the body (Merleau-Ponty, 1962). An embodied way of learning can also reinforce our ability to involve the tacit dimensions of design knowledge.

What is tacit in our context is very well defined by Cross who claims that design has its own distinct things to

know, ways of knowing them, and ways of finding out about them, which remain largely tacit (Cross, 1982).

After this very brief introduction to the theory behind, I invite the interested ones to go on with further reading of the literature and I reframe my question as; how can we develop diverse tools of thinking tied to the body to involve the tacit dimensions of design knowledge for an embodied way of learning digital making? And I find the computationally informed adaptable mold system (a.k.a. FlexiMold) very promising to provide with an answer to this question. That is why we have been using it in our course to design and build with our students since almost four years now.

The concept of FlexiMold already exists for quite some time. An early example of similar systems was developed

by Renzo Piano in 1960s (Piano, 1969). More recently at TU Delft, Roel Schipper has done important researches on this concept at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences (Schipper, 2015). Our inheritance and adaptation of the system for teaching digital making at Technoledge Design Informatics course was a perfect match with the hypothesis and the theoretical perspective I described.

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Because, Fleximold is a simple example of the concept of “soft technology” as described by Norman, who defines it as a compliant and yielding system that acknowledges the initiative and flexibility of the person; in contrast with “hard technology” that has inflexible, hard and rigid requirements for the human (Norman, 1993). It effectively informs its user on how it is possibly used and, therefore, addresses the theory of affordances described

by Gibson (1977). For all these qualities it possesses, it becomes an efficient tool in an educational setup where the primary goal is learning by experimenting. It enables a steep learning curve by letting the students understand the principles of digital making by becoming a part of the process by both cognitive and bodily means.

Practice Briefly, the process of digital making in this course includes; design conception, analysis and optimization by using computational methods; material investigations; and computationally informed fabrication in an iterative way. The students learn how to develop complex geometric forms and assess performance aspects by using computational methods; how to integrate material properties and fabrication constraints in design development; and how to build an actual scale structure through a computationally driven process. It is a handson design and build course and all the students are encouraged to get actively involved in all phases and learn by doing.

Figure 2. The fleximold

Figure 3. Panelising shell to form on Fleximold

The fabrication is done outside of TU Delft, usually in collaboration with a university abroad, and by including the students of the host university. This study trip, which gives the course another dimension, is in line with other learning objectives of the course, which might be a topic for another paper.

In the last year, we asked our students to design and build an acoustic stage to be used at Czasoprzestrzeń, a cultural center in Wrocław, Poland. Our host was Wrocław University of Science and Technology (PWR).

The collaboration was established thanks to Jerzy Latka, Figure 4. Students working in Czasoprzestrzeń

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Figure 5. Split Shell form-finding

who is currently an academic working at the Faculty of Architecture at PWR. The stage was designed by the students of TU Delft and built by the students of both universities in Wrocław in April 2018.

Our students started by proposing conceptual designs in response to the given assignment. We made an open election to select one of the proposals to build. The selected proposal, the Split Shell, was then improved, optimized and detailed for fabrication through wellorganized team work in five weeks. The main concerns during this phase were to understand the capacities of the construction materials and system, and to achieve the highest possible efficiency in terms of the acoustic performance, the structural performance, the use of materials and the construction process. And a very challenging aspect was to develop a comprehensive computational workflow which integrates all these concerns -and even the organization and scheduling of the construction process. It was a very dense five weeks period with many iterations and decision updates.

There is no doubt that the students were able to handle this challenge very well and end up with a good design project and detailed construction planning. However, despite the precise pre-rationalisation, several aspects were needed to be reviewed and updated on site as expected. In the end, this is all about experimenting -from the very first step to the last. Therefore, it is the very nature of the process to encounter and solve problems as they emerge on the go. It could even principally fail.

But we ended up two beautiful shells, still standing at the site to be used in performances.

In my opinion, what is exciting about this course is that it leaves enough room for experiments. The students are not mere receivers but are active learners which take part in defining and solving the problems. We, as tutors, essentially provide them with a setup which is equipped with various instruments of thinking tied to the body and help them to embody with what is tacit in design.

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References Cross, N. (1982). Designerly Ways of Knowing. Design Studies, 3(4), 221–227.

Gibson, J. J. (1977). The Theory of Affordances. In R. Shaw & J. Bransford (Eds.), Perceiving, Acting, and Knowing: Toward an Ecological Psychology (pp. 67–82). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Latour, B., & Yaneva, A. (2008). Give me a Gun and I will Make All Buildings Move: An ANT’s View of Architecture.

In R. Geiser (Ed.), Explorations in Architecture: Teaching, Design, Research (pp. 80–89). Basel: Birkhäuser.

Merleau-Ponty, M. (1962). Phenomenology of Perception.

London: Routledge.

Norman, D. A. (1993). Things That Make Us Smart: Defending Human Attributes In The Age Of The Machine.

Massachusetts: Basic Books.

Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge Prof. Dr. I. Sevil Sarilyidiz and Paul de Ruiter for initiating this experimental course and allowing me to develop it further. I also appreciate the contributions of some past and present colleagues such as Friso Gouwetor, Peter Eigenraam and Winfried Meijer.

Piano, R. (1969). Progettazione sperimentale per strutture a guscio - Experimental project of shell structures.

Casabella, 335, 38–49.

Schipper, H. R. (2015). Double-curved precast concrete elements: Research into technical viability of the flexible mould method. Delft University of Technology.

Serdar Aşut is an architect with a PhD degree in Informatics from Istanbul Technical University. He worked at several architecture schools in Turkey, Denmark and Switzerland.

He is currently teaching and working in research projects at TOI: The Chair of Design Informatics at TU Delft. His works focus on creative making with the support of digital tools and computational techniques.

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How Enginear helped me in finding a job with extremes!

From creative sketches to detailed technical effects An interview with TU Delft graduate Alois Knol by Lisa Gritter

When you enter the job market as a starting engineer, it can be difficult to determine which position suits you best. That is why Enginear, an innovative player in the recruitment market, helps young engineers by discovering their best career choice.

About Enginear Enginear is a specialist in recruitment and job placement within the field of the built environment, in which we mainly focus on civil and building engineering. We bring together young engineers and employers in a substantive, effective and transparent manner. We use our knowledge and experience in order to grow and develop the skills of students, engineers and companies, and most of all, to ensure that everyone is working together enthusiastically. Every engineer that contacts us seizes the opportunity to make career choices based on self-reflection and by doing this, creating a sound basis for their future. This approach is key to the success of every match between a young engineer and a company.

Furthermore, we share our knowledge about the job application process, personal leadership skills and career development with new engineering talents that will enter the job market in the coming years. Each student or young engineer can find us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram). It is also

possible to sign up for one of our free training sessions, workshops or personal career advice ≤meetings.

During the BAU Career Event at Delft University of Technology we met Alois. What followed was a personal career advice meeting in which Alois filled in our personal style test, as well as our motivations test. Next we discussed his resume, the goals he wanted to achieve in his career and what type of job would be the ideal job for Alois. The personal approach of the appointment allowed us to fully understand Alois’ experiences and knowledge, his motivation in his career and his strengths.

We at Enginear believe that only once you get to know a person fully, you can help him or her creating their career. To further showcase the services of Enginear, an interview has been held with Alois about his job search with Enginear.

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Alois studied in the Building Technology master’s programme at the Faculty of Architecture in TU Delft. During his studies he specialized in façade technology and climate design. He has been working at De Groot en Visser since June 2018 as Junior Project Engineer.

Enginear is one of Praktijkvereniging BouT’s sponsors. Interested in the company? Check out the website www.enginear.nl

1. Hello Alois! First of all, tell us about you educational background...

I was very excited when I started my bachelor’s degree in Building Engineering. During my third year, I decided to gain some relevant work experience. I started as a CAD designer at an architectural firm in Rotterdam and I really liked that. I started with two days a week, but soon this became more and I decided to stop my study temporarily. After several years, however, the economic crisis reached its peak. As a result, fewer and fewer orders were received by the architectural firm. Partly because of this, I chose to make the switch to my father’s architectural office. This was also the moment when I continued my study, it was time to get that piece of paper.

During my Bachelor Thesis it became clear to me that I wanted to change directions from architecture to a more technical specialization. Therefore, I chose the master

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Building Technology. Here it is much more about facts, I like that.

2. How did you come to know Enginear?

In two years I received my master’s degree. After my graduation, I continued working for my father’s architectural firm. I spent several months designing new apartments, but in the end this project did not go through.

When I heard that the project had been cancelled, I decided to start looking for a job as a young professional.

However, I had no idea what exactly I wanted to do. My first step was to visit the BAU Career Event at Delft University of Technology. I spoke to a friend who had found a nice job with help from Enginear. Enginear was also present and I decided to bring them a visit. Marjolein, one of Enginear’s career advisers, told me a few things about Enginear’s working method and this immediately appealed to me.

Company There was also an exemplary vacancy that caught my attention. We decided to make an appointment at the office in Reeuwijk and continued the conversation there.

3. How was the collaboration with Enginear?

Prior to the personal career advice meeting, I completed two tests: the personal style test and the motivation test.

I recognized myself in the results. I am very creative and I tend to work out technical matters in detail. For me it was difficult to think of a job where I could do both.

Based on the results of the tests and the conversation that followed, Enginear started the job search. Lotte is one of the account managers at Enginear who helped me. Together we considered several options at various architectural firms. However, we did not find my dream job yet. Then Lotte told me about the option at de Groot & Visser and I was very enthusiastic about this one.

Lotte introduced me to De Groot and Visser and soon they invited me for a job interview. Lotte came with me and for me this was very pleasant. She did not participate in the conversation, but it is nice that someone can give you some feedback afterwards. This is quite unique and I found her comments very useful!

”

“The fact that Enginear takes care of everything is a great added value to finding a job.”

After the personal career advice meeting at Enginear they make sure that your resume is complete and has a clear layout. In addition, they introduce you to the potential employers, so you do not have to write motivation letters yourself. I thought that was a big advantage, because I find this very difficult. Everything is arranged with care, that’s nice!

Within a few weeks I heard that I could start at De Groot en Visser. It took a little longer due to circumstances at de Groot and Visser, but all this time I was well informed

by Lotte. I was offered a contract directly from the firm.

This means that Enginear was involved in the process until the moment I signed my contract with De Groot en Visser. I did get an invitation for the summer event in July though, I certainly appreciated that!

4. What is it like to work at De Groot and Visser?

During my first weeks at De Groot and Visser, I got to know the organization very well. In my first week I visited my colleagues in the factory to learn all there is to know about their work. In the second week I went outside with my colleagues from construction. Very nice to see how everything works!

My work is very diverse. For example, I worked on a project at a police station where a new facade was needed. I went to the police station to do the measurements and made some designs. Next you have to discuss your drafts with the technical director. Once you got his approval you can start finalizing your designs.In another project, I was also involved in the preparation phase. However, the next project was waiting so I had to hand it over to a colleague.

At De Groot en Visser they attach great value to sharing knowledge with each other. You are encouraged to learn new things, to develop and to grow. When I started at De Groot en Visser, I soon noticed that the building physics knowledge was limited within the organization. That is why I am currently working on a program in which I share the knowledge that I have gained during my studies and during various projects, with my colleagues.

Even though the work I did during my studies was different than the work I do now, I believe it has been very useful. You get a good idea of the work field, you’ll find out what you do like and what not, it looks good on your resume and it shows a potential employer that your work ethics are good. I am sure the work experience I gained during my studies contributed to my career so far!

5. Would you recommend working with Enginear?

Absolutely! Especially when someone does not exactly know which position suits him/her the most, a personal career advice meeting is very enlightening. I would definitely do it again!

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CURVEworks Composite materials and adaptive tooling technology to shape architecture From Managing Director,Tahira Ahmed

At Curve Works, when we talk about composite materials, we refer to reinforced polymer materials. The combinations of reinforcements and polymer types allow for application in any environment and for any loading scenario. Composite materials are fantastic materials to design with because they can be optimised to deal efficiently with the environmental and structural conditions they are exposed to. Perhaps more importantly, they allow for freedom of shape in whatever applications in which they are used.

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Figure 1.#69 Faรงade panel: metal look Rumoer

Company Benefits of composite materials 1. Design flexibility Composites can be moulded into complicated shapes more easily than most other materials. This gives designers the freedom to create almost any shape or form. For architecture, the surface of composites can also be moulded to mimic any surface finish or texture.

2. High strength-to-weight & stiffness-to-weight ratio Composites have the highest strength-to-weight & stiffness-to-weight ratios in structures today. This property is why composites are used to build airplanes, which need a very high strength material at the lowest possible weight. For architecture this can have a huge impact on the installation. Lighter panels do not need expensive cranes and lifting devices to mount them.

Done right, and one or two people on scaffolding can do the same job.

3. Environmental resistance Composites resist damage from the weather and from harsh chemicals that can eat away at other materials.

Outdoors, they stand up to severe weather and wide changes in temperature.

4. Dimensional stability Composites retain their shape and size when they are hot or cool, wet or dry. Wood, on the other hand, swells and shrinks as the humidity changes. Composites can be a better choice in situations demanding tight fits that do not vary.

Wood

Steel

Concrete/Steel

Composite

Figure 2. Degradation of support pillars of different materials exposed to salt water

Figure 3. It is possible to go against convention with unique designs using composite materials in the faรงade

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5. Thermal properties Composites can be designed to have a very low coefficient of thermal expansion and are therefore not prone to expansion and contraction. Glass-fibre based composite structures are inherently insulators due to their low thermal conductivity. Typical values are as follows:

Aluminium (no thermal break) Aluminium (thermal break) Aluminium clad wood/reinforced vinyl Wood and vinyl Composite

U Factor 1.9-2.2 1.0 0.4-0.6 0.3-0.5 0.2-0.3

So why are we not using composites more?

Many architects are keen to challenge the established forms and shapes of buildings yet are constrained by the abilities of conventional construction materials to turn their concepts into reality. However, cost is one of the major factors restricting the use of composite materials in free-form architecture. In the typical trajectory of a free-form design using composite materials, unique moulds are required for each unique panel. Traditional composite manufacturing makes use of CNC machining to produce the moulds. Besides the cost, the cycle time for production can be a turn-off. The waiting-time for all the individual moulds to be machined and prepared can be months, and all this before production can begin.

Figure 4. Moulds for complex composite products are mainly CNC machined

Figure 5. Many different moulds need to be produced to achieve free-form designs

As a significant side impact, the waste associated with the moulds after use leads to considerable disposal implications, and this will become more of an issue in the future.

There is also the belief that composite materials performs poorly in fire retardancy. This is a shame because as with any building, consideration of structural design and careful material choices determine the performance of the final structure.

Figure 6. The reconfigurable tool – an adaptive mould

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Based on a pin-bed concept the technology consists of a fully automated adaptive mould and an advanced CAD/ CAM software package. The software operates through Rhino3d and lets the user create, check and select panels. The panel information is sent to the adaptive mould which forms itself in minutes to the desired shape.

Manufacturing can start immediately. This is its essential function; to be able to reshape and be reused over and over again.

The mould and the software behind it is a work of art in itself. Built by a Danish company, Adapa ApS, to our specifications, we have modified it to make it suitable for use with composite materials and we are the first company in the world to have done so.

The mould works on individually controlled motorised linear actuators, or stepper motors, that can move up to 1 metre out of its home position. Thousands of magnets lie on top of the actuators, keeping the silicone rubber membrane, which is filled with iron particles, in its place.

In this way a smooth shape is created over the discrete points of the actuators underneath. To aid trimming, a laser projector projects the lines of the net-shape panel.

”

Moulding a new paradigm Our solution to allow for free-of-shape design and to avoid the slippery slope to high cost and unfortunate waste is rapid manufacturing using reconfigurable tooling technology.

“With these special techniques, we really have enabled rapid manufacturing of moulds – minutes compared to up to months with traditional manufacturing approaches.”

Figure 7. Step 1: design. Step 2: shape mould and manufacture. Step 3: apply finishing.

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The mould is capable of making parts of up to 5.5 m2 which falls within the 4-6 m2 required by most architectural application. It is also capable of radius of curvature down to 400mm singly curved, and 600 mm doubly curved.

It’s not just the adaptive mould that is flexible We have the capability to manufacture both thermoplastic (plastics that can be heated over and over again) and thermoset (plastics that require “curing” to set their shape permanently) materials.

Outside of Curve Works, this ease of producing affordable, one-off shapes with adaptive moulds has been well-received in the architectural and construction industry for concrete façades. Most recently, this technology is being used in the construction of Kuwait International Airport’s new international terminal, where 40,000 unique concrete panels, all curved, will be manufactured.

This means we can process a variety of materials, such as solid surfaces (Corian and Hi-Macs), plexiglas and fibreglass reinforced polyesters to name a few. Each material provides an opportunity for the architect to create the exact effect that they are looking for.

Figure 8. Underneath the surface - thousands of magnets sit on top of hundreds of individually controlled actuators.

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Company Technology beyond the tooling We use a specially built infrared heater mounted above the mould to thermoform thermoplastic materials onto the curved mould surface, For thermoforming processes, we place a panel on the mould, hold it with vacuum and then preheat. With the push of a button, the mould moves and starts to shape the plastic. It reaches shape within 3 minutes, so we are done very quickly.

For thermoset materials, we have built a large convection oven around the mould and can use stretchable heating blankets capable of up to 200°C to enable curing. We have also implemented ultraviolet lighting for special fast-cure resins – resins that can cure in minutes rather than hours with the help of UV light.

With these special techniques, we really have enabled rapid manufacturing of moulds – minutes compared to up to months with traditional manufacturing approaches.

If you have lower-cost, reusable tooling and low cycle times, you have a competitive product.

With composite materials and through implementing new technologies such as the adaptive mould, we can make strides in offering the architect more design freedom than ever before.

Figure 9. Façade panel: veneer finish

Tahira Ahmed is managing director of Curve Works in Zoetermeer. Her background is aeronautical engineering with a specialism in composite materials. Her passion, and the ideology behind Curve Works, is to continuously work on technologies to enable responsible manufacturing without compromising on the delivery of excellent composite products.

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Rumoer Figure#69 1. Front view of CeramicInformation Pavilion at the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture (UABB) in Shenzhen.

Academic

CeramicInformation Pavilion Rethinking structural terracotta brick specials through robotic 3d printing Christian J. Lange , Donn Holohan , Department of Architecture , University of Hong Kong

Many of the professionals in the industry driving the development are dreaming of full-scale production with large-scale printers that print entire houses. Though there are a number of promising developments on the horizon, we believe that this trend will be just one trajectory of how we think about new technologies to drive contemporary architectural production. In the CeramicInformation pavilion, therefore, we explored how we, as architects, using novel robotic 3d printing methods, can re imagine the 7000-year-old building material, brick.

Background Complex brick construction is defined by its relationship to labor; it requires skilled workers both in planning and assembly. In the modern era, this has been perceived as a significant drawback, and as such has resulted in brick construction being partially superseded by more rapid methods of fabrication, despite its inherent robustness, longevity, and local availability.

However, with the advent of robots in architecture, the industry witnessed a renaissance of one of architecture’s most traditional material systems, the brick. With innovative automation processes and a new approach to bricklaying, new possibilities emerged for the use of this ancient material. In particular, Gramazio & Kohler’s early Gantenbein vineyard façade is, in this respect, groundbreaking - simultaneously investigating the approach of automated bricklaying and its architectural potential. Nonetheless, this process has limitations; the generic module itself is restrictive and places conditions

on performance and formal outcomes. Historically, architects and builders utilized brick specials to achieve more complex geometries within brick architecture.

The brick special was particularly popular during the Gothic period and the era of brick expressionism in the Netherlands and Northern Germany, and often used to accentuate architectural features. The brick special also had significance in Chinese architecture - The Iron Pagoda in Kaifeng City, built in 1049 AD, exemplifies the historical plasticity of the brick; its exterior is elaborated using over 50 unique modules in various configurations.

The brick special, however, is relatively labor intensive to produce. While standard bricks are manufactured utilizing a die extrusion process, a method that is fast and economical, the manufacturing of brick specials has not changed over time and involves a complex molding process.

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CeramicInformation Pavilion The research pavilion was part of the latest edition of the Shenzhen Bi-city Biennale on Architecture and Urbanism (UABB) in 2017. It had roughly a footprint of 2.5 by 2.5 meters and measured 2.2 meters in height.

The continuously differentiated components were manufactured over a period of 20 days in the Robotic Fabrication Lab at The University of Hong Kong before the lightweight elements were shipped to the site and assembled within 5 days into the multifaceted wall by laymen. Approximately 1.5million lines of robot code were generated, with each brick containing an average of 1400 individual target-points. 882 individual brick specials were printed utilizing a set up that consisted of an industrial robot in conjunction with an automated clay extruder.

Around 700 kg of standard low fire terracotta clay was used for the production of the bricks. The average printing time for each brick was around six minutes. To achieve a structurally sound result each brick had to be fired at 1125 degrees Celsius. After firing each brick weighed approximately 600 grams, close to one quarter of the weight of a standard brick.

Figure 2. Top view showing opening of pavilion

Generic bricks are relatively neutral and uniform. They do not have a distinct direction for their assembly, nor do they have any articulation on their surfaces. As robotic fabrication is extremely versatile, there was a great deal of freedom for the design of the brick specials in this project. However, since clay as a material system requires very consistent environments during the drying and firing process, and complex shapes are harder to control, the geometry was kept relatively simple, to a C-shape, and focused more on the performative aspects of the global assembly of the bricks. The design team eventually decided to develop a brick that had two different geometric sides that vary in depth and width.

On the one hand, this idea was to distinguish the inside from the outside, while on the other hand this allowed for continuously differentiated transparencies in the global system to occur. This aspect also gave the opportunity to experiment with light and shadows in a new way.

Figure 3. Printing individual bricks

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Academic The brick pattern within the global system was based on a traditional running bond that transformed along the perimeter of the pavilion from a dense towards a sparse configuration, generating varying degrees of transparencies between the inside and the outside, resulting in unexpected shadow effects. As the global form of the pavilion required that each brick needed to be special, the key aspect within the design of the brick was to develop a system that allowed for the indication of its precise position, but also its relationship to its neighboring bricks. This system was in part replacing the traditional mason’s plumb line and level. As such, the work references a range of modular interlocking brick systems popular in the developing world, but provides a more versatile solution and one that is capable of adopting more precisely to a wide range of spatial, and design specific conditions.

Figure 4. Concept diagram of brick assembly

Figure 5. Shadow effects

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Figure 6. ABB 6700 at work in Robotic Fabrication Lab at Hong Kong University.

Figure 7. Unfired 3d printed clay bricks

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Figure 8. Fired Brick assembly indicating holes for the next layer

Academic itself from the constraints of the industry, make use of innovative design methods and lastly return to a more holistic approach in the future.

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Given this mindset, the aim of this project was to develop an innovative, flexible brick that has the global geometry embedded in the brick itself, is structurally sound, can be economically manufactured and assembled easily by laymen. In an environment with rapidly growing cities but also remote, underdeveloped rural areas, robotic fabrication offers a trajectory for Architecture that has the potential to bring back specificity and diversity, while maintaining attributes such as efficiency and economic viability. In a way, the idea was to develop a model suitable for emerging and transitioning economies, where the chaotic nature of building sites on the one hand, and the relative immobility of robots on the other, conspire to stifle the potentials offered by today’s computational tools. The goal of the CeramicInformation pavilion was to give an outlook into how the profession can emancipate

“Ultimately, Robotic technologies provide an ideal platform for the design of innovative fabrication methods without reinventing the machines of production.”

Christian J. Lange is a founding partner of Rocker-Lange Architects, a research and design practice based in Hong Kong and Boston. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong, where he teaches architectural design and classes in advanced digital modeling and robotics and leads the Robotic Fabrication Lab.

Donn Holohan is a designer and educator. A founding partner of multidisciplinary design studio Superposition, he is also currently working as Assistant Lecturer at the University of Hong Kong, where his teaching focuses on empowering designers to effectively engage with emerging technologies through an increased understanding of both material and technical aspects of design.

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And, as you have long since come to expect from FSB, the inner values are no less beguiling than those you see.

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Graduate

FabField

A new approach to building services design Graduation Thesis by Matteo Santangelo

The benefits of industrialization and prefabrication of buildings has long been misunderstood and restricted to cost savings and fast construction, without considering additional benefits such as flexibility in use, production and assembly efficiency or end of life scenarios, aspects that are becoming more important as nowadays’ requirements for buildings have increased dramatically.

Figure 1. FabField system

Understanding the true potential of prefabrication in architecture would bridge the gap between human prosperity and environmental efficiency, which is the key to a sustainable built environment in the future.

Many outstanding architects such as Buckminster Fuller, Gropius and LeCorbusier have already tried to lead the way towards the industrialization and serial production of buildings in the 20th century, but all of them failed for different reasons. In my opinion, we have now reached a level of technology as well as a certain urgency to make a final leap into the extensive use of prefabrication in architecture. Besides, the most efficient industries in the world, such as automotive, shipping, aerospace, electronics and IT, already make extensive use of industrialization methods and, as a result, their products are all characterized by outstanding quality and precision as well as short production times.

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Prefabrication nowadays If in the past prefabs were merely considered cheap living units, nowadays the perception is certainly starting to change thanks to many exceptional modern prefabs that are paving the way for the whole industry. Final quality of the buildings, safety on site and weather independence are only a few of the benefits of factory produced buildings or building components.

Currently, prefabs can be built according to three distinctive levels of prefabrication: • Fully prefab buildings: produced and fully assembled in factories, later shipped on site and ready to use. Their size is mainly limited by road regulations, their design is also very standardized (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Koda by Kodasema

• Plug&Play modules: large modules produced in factories, transported and assembled on site, already equipped with all necessary fixtures. It is a good trade-off between prefabrication and design flexibility (Figure 3). • Prefab building components: relatively small components are produced and assembled in factories and later shipped and connected on site to form the building. This method requires the longest time spent on site but also allows for great design flexibility (Figure 4).

FabField The FabField system is based on the CNC milling of OSB elements into specific shapes that allow to form box-like components, filled with insulating material, making up the four main components of the building system: beam, wall, roof and floor. The maximum size of the components is mainly limited by the size of the CNC milling machine, whereas the design possibilities are limited by the building system itself.

The building system is based on digital manufacturing techniques that make it sustainable, cheap, safe and easyto-build as well as modular and accurate in the production.

Nevertheless, a system to efficiently integrate the required building services still needs to be developed. Additionally, the integration needs to be in line with the aforementioned principles of FabField.

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Figure 3. VIPP Shelter

Figure 4. PO Lab (FabField)

Graduate The wider objective was pursued by tackling three subobjectives: 1. The study of distribution of services in modular systems was key to find the best way to distribute cables, ducts and pipes through the FabField building system.

2. The study and redesign of the current building components so that they can accommodate the required services for a small family housing unit 3. The analysis of possible finishes: what are the possibilities for the interior finishing layers of the system to best accommodate appliances?

1. Distribution design The first approach was to simulate different scenarios in which two random points A and B, representing the start and end point of an energy medium (water, electricity, air), needed to be connected respecting a modular grid, thus disallowing diagonal movements. Each scenario had different effects and requirements on the building components as well as on the length of the path itself.

This phase concluded that an even distribution of all services could be accomplished by allowing services to flow horizontally and vertically through wall components as well as parallel along the floor components, as shown in Figure 5.

2. Building components design The conclusions of the distribution design allowed to set the functional requirements for the building components.

At first, an extensive study on market products suitable for small family housing was conducted, setting the minimal space requirements for the components.

Additionally, considerations on the structural and thermal characteristics of the components helped to set some dimensional boundaries, over which the components would have failed to meet either safety or comfort standards. Several design proposals were made and analyzed through a tailored design methodology, which helped assessing and grading each alternative considering the previously set design criteria. The methodology can be extremely useful to help the designer keep under control all aspects that can influence the

Figure 5. Chosen design for building component

Figure 6. Overall system distribution design

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Figure 7. Assembly of designed component

final performance of the product, especially in complex scenarios such as this one, where it is nearly impossible to keep track of how influent a simple change can be. The chosen design for the components comprises flanges that create a 5cm gap which allows vertical movement of cables, ducts and pipes; additionally, some pockets were carved into the flanges in a set height to allow services to flow horizontally through walls (Figure 5, 7).

This design performed the best on key criteria such as assembly time, transportation, flexibility and end of life scenarios, which is ultimately the reason why it was chosen for the prototyping phase.

Two 1:1 scale building components accommodating cables and appliances were later installed and are still displayed inside the PO Lab, in the West entrance of the Bouwkunde Faculty (Figure 8, 9).

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Figure 8. Protoype of the component in the PO Lab

Graduate 3.Design of finishes The last part of the thesis investigated the possibilities for the interior finishes using the same methodology applied for the building components, yet with different criteria.

The design alternatives were assessed according to material, assembly method, connections, cost and so on. However the final objective of this phase wasn’t to provide a best choice but rather to show pros and cons of different approaches so that, in a future scenario, it will ultimately be the client the one who decides the interior finishing panels according to individual preferences, function and budget.

Conclusions When talking about building services we might not immediately understand the complexity of the subject.

However, building services comprise a cluster of both theoretical and market related aspects that intertwine with each other and make it extremely difficult to be encompassed in a single graduation project. Therefore many technical aspects were somewhat undermined and solved with rules of thumb in order to reach the conclusions within the given time. On the other hand, the study focused a lot on design methodology and prefabrication, which were also the aspects that interested me the most and got me to choose this topic since the beginning. The true objective of the thesis, rather than finding a single solution to a single problem, was to show the multitude of options and benefits that come with prefabrication in architecture, and in that aspect I believe it succeeded. Besides, the traditional approach adopted by the construction industry produces

Figure 9. Close up of the component prototype with integrated systems

tons of waste materials in both the building phase and demolition, the whole building process makes use of antiquated methods and materials that make it rigid in its function and obsolete in its realization and disposal. The industry cannot hide anymore, it needs to act fast and reform, promoting sustainable solutions and supporting small companies that are already on the right path; because it is vital and urgent now more than ever, if we wish to fix what past generations have done and give better conditions for the generations to come.

Matteo Santangelo was born in Cavalese, Italy, on 15-06-1990. After obtaining his bachelor degree in Architecture and Building Construction at Politecnico di Milano, he decided to proceed with his studies abroad. Matteo started his master in Building Tecnhology at TU Delft in 2015 and graduated in November 2017, with a thesis focused on prefabrication. He is fascinated by all practical aspects of the building process and hopes to get more and more involved on construction sites in the future.

He is currently working as a building engineer at ABT bv in Delft.

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Academic

Digital Metal 3D printing sand-mold to produce unimaginable and affordable cast metal parts in architecture

by Mania Aghaei Meibodi

Bespoke Metal Elements in Architecture Cast metal has been widely used in architecture —for facades, bridges, beams, columns and connections. An historical example is the exposed cast-iron arches and columns in the Sainte-Geneviève Library France built by architect Henri Labrouste.

Cast metal can find application in architecture wherever strong parts with three-dimensional geometry are needed. Through casting molten metal can be shaped into any desired shape. Casting allows fabrication of intricate, integral elements with design features that cannot be obtained by other fabrication methods, such as undercuts, overhangs, internal structures and the three-dimensional differentiation in thickness of parts.

However, the degree of geometric complexity achievable in a metal part is still constrained by our ability to fabricate the necessary mold, which is traditionally very labor and time intensive.

Today, advances in additive manufacturing of metal can bypass mold making and offer the ability to produce bespoke parts with complex geometry without molds.

An example is the 3D printed steel node by Arup that was topologically optimized to reduce 75% of material (Galjaard et al. 2015). However, while today multiple technologies of metal 3D-printing exist, each have major shortcomings for the application in building industry, where usually a larger amount of bespoke large metal parts is needed within a short production time.

Figure 1. Liquid Pavilion Structure. Photographer: Demetris Shammas

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The most common method is Powder bed fusion (such as SLM, EBM, and DMLS), in which each powder bed layer is selectively fused through energy, like laser or electron beam. This method is commonly used for manufacturing small, low volume, complex metallic parts (Bhavar, 2014). Major drawbacks of employing this technology for building industry are the small build volumes, long print times, limited metal material that can be printed, and high cost. Printing methods for larger dimension, such as robotic gas metal arc welding based additive manufacturing — where the stainless-steel rods are printed through welding layer by layer — are recently developed. However, this technique requires expensive postprocessing to reach a high-quality surface finishing and is still limited in the printable forms. In general, the available additive manufacturing methods for metal are too expensive for the application in architecture.

Digital Metal Research: Combining the Advantages of 3D Printing and Metal-Casting To overcome these challenges, in my research at DBT, I employ AM to 3D print the sand-mold for metal casting rather than 3D printing the metal part directly. I do this to benefit from the geometric freedom offered by 3D printing and the flexibility of metal casting. When combining 3D-printed sand-molds with metal casting, we can efficiently create large bespoke elements without being limiting to specific metals or alloys—we can cast practically any kind of metal.

To fabricate sand-molds, Digital Metal research uses binder-jetting technology where a liquid agent is selectively dropped on thin layers of sand to bind it. For applications in architecture, binder-jetting technology offers a unique combination of geometric freedom, intricate detailing and large print-bed dimension. Molds can be printed at a precision in the range of a tenth of a millimeter and in dimension of up to 4x2x1 meters.

In Digital Metal research, 3D printing sand-mold and casting is used hand in hand with computational power.

The increased computational power needed to calculate geomatrically complex and highly detailed forms

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Figure 2. Cast metal in 3D-printed sand-molds

enables exploration of entirely new vocabulary of shapes for architecturally exposed metal structures. We can design and produce metal parts in a new and radically expressive aesthetic. Instead of using the cutting-edge technologies to mimic former details and concepts, in digital metal research this new paradigm is explored in a most radical and open manner.

This research entails development of computational methods to design and optimize bespoke metal elements which integrate the casting constraints. An important aspect is to facilitate the design of molds and casting system for any given shape. An attempt is to automatically integrate details such as the gating system that channels the molten metal to the mold cavity.

Ideally, I would like to generate the required fabrication data for any geometry of part on a push of a button and send it directly to the 3D printer. The casting process itself can follow the traditional setup and can be done within a short period of time.

Two experimental projects: first architectural structures featuring new vocabulary of shapes for metal casts using 3D printed sand molds To demonstrate and evaluate the proposed method in an architectural context, two 1:1 scale projects were designed and built together with the students of the Master of Advanced Studies in Digital Fabrication

Academic

Figure 3. Design for a cast facade-panel by Mania Aghaei Meibodi. Computation is used to explore new vocabulary and aesthetic of cast metal part in digital age.

(MAS DFAB) at ETH Zurich. These projects highlight possible application of the proposed fabrication method for structural metal nodes and three dimensionally articulated façade elements. The metal connection in combination with standard tubular profiles enable the construction of large freeform spaceframe structure. The facade elements allow precise control of transparency and shading properties though porous 3D structures.

In 2017, “Liquid Pavilion”, a five-meter-high spaceframe structure was designed and built from 182 nonrepetitive lightweight joints in combination with off-shelf metal profiles. All nodes were digitally designed and digitally fabricated using 3D-printed molds, reducing the overall fabrication time and effort.

The constraints of metal casting were encoded in the algorithm that generates the geometry of the nodes and their molds, which then ensured cast-ability, dimensional-accuracy and good surface finishes. AM

allowed integration of a gating system for the liquid metal into the mold, thus considerably reducing tolerances and fabrication time. As a result, the fabrication of all nodes took less than two weeks, which is considerably faster than casting with the traditional process of mold-making or the direct 3D metal printing. With commercially available metal printers, large connections would even have to be split into smaller parts to fit into the printing box.

In 2018, a six-meter-high and four-meter-wide “Deep Facade” was designed and constructed from 26 threedimensionally articulated panels up to the size of 2 sqm, that were also cast using 3D-printed sand molds.

A modified differential-growth algorithm was used to generate the ornamented structure that expresses the liquidity and strength of metal as a building material.

Here we used an open cast principle, which helped us to reduce the size of the necessary printed sand-molds.

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Figure 4. A 3D printed sand mold (left) and an aluminum cast joint (right), the MAS DFAB at ETH Zurich 2017. Photographer: Ma Xije

Outlook: A promising approach for bespoke metal parts in architecture The discussed digital fabrication approaches for bespoke metal parts are targeting very different applications in architecture and it is important to strategically decide when to use what. Powder-bed metal printing is best in producing highly precise, lightweight small metal parts in low volume / lot size. Casting metal in 3D printed molds has enormous advantages when high volume custom parts or parts with a larger dimension are needed.

Here, the indirect use of 3D printing is much faster, cheaper and feasible than direct 3D printing and is well qualified for architectural applications. In another word production of large and geometrically complex structural parts are becoming affordable.

An important aspect for future research is to facilitate the design of molds for any given shape, and to automatically orient parts in an optimal way, integrate details such as the feeding of the metal and minimize the necessary post-production. Such specific molding strategies can dramatically reduce the required amount of post-processing. To further increase the degree of automation of the discussed process, unpacking and post-processing, which are currently done manually could be in future automated by robots.

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Figure 5. Liquid Pavilion, designed and built by the students of MAS DFAB at ETH Zurich 2017. Photographer: Demetris Shammas

Academic

Linking the ancient fabrication method of casting to state-of-the-art 3D printing opens the door for revival of cast metal in architecture. It will allow us to structurally optimize metal components and reduce the amount of material. Coupling this fabrication approach with computational design, we can unlock an entirely new vocabulary of shapes for architecturally exposed metal structures, previously unavailable with traditional mold making systems.

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“We can design and produce parts in a new and radically expressive aesthetic.”

Mania Aghaei Meibodi is senior researcher at Digital Building Technologies (dbt) research group, ETH Zurich and cofounder architect at meonia. Her research focuses on hybrid approaches in using computation and digital fabrication to explore new architectural form and materialize complexity at a building-scale with ultra-high resolution.

Industrial Collaborators of Deep Façade and Liquid Pavilion: DGS Druckguss-Systeme AG, Aluminium-Laufen AG Liesberg, Aluminium-Verband Schweiz, Christenguss AG, ExOne Gmbh WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROJECTS? CHECK OUT:

Figure 6. Deep Facade, designed and built by the students of the MAS DFAB at ETH Zurich 2018. Photographer: Jetana Ruangjun (Jet)

Digital Building Technologies (dbt): http://dbt.arch.ethz.ch/ contact/ Master of Advanced Studies in Digital Fabrication (MAS DFAB): https://www.masdfab.com/work

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New material systems for 3D printing Three research projects at the TU Darmstadt from former BT students explore the potentials of additive manufacturing of metal, glass and clay

by Chris Borg Costanzi, Dennis de Witte and Robert Akerboom

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Figure 1.Robotic deformation of thin-sheet metal. Professor Dr.Ing-Oliver Tessmann, DDU. Photograph by: Chris Borg Constanzi Rumoer #69

Academic Future of 3D Printing in Building Technology: The use of Additive Manufacturing (AM) as an industrial tool has risen sharply since the first tests during the 1960’s. As of 2012, the Additive Manufacturing Market grew with a compound annual growth rate of 28% with a value of over $2billion with a projected market value of $10.8 Billion to be reached by 2021[1]. The construction industry is one of the sectors that have been affected by the disruptive technology, showing an exponential growth in research since the initial concrete contour crafting studies in the beginning of the 2000’s. Although

concrete remains the dominant additive manufacturing material in construction, other new material systems such plastics, clays, metals and even glass are also emerging, allowing us to rethink what 3D printed architecture can be. However, regulation of additive manufacturing still remains one of the greatest hurdles to be overcome. The following three projects show advancements in additive manufacturing of metal, clay and glass.

[1] Wohler’s Report (2013), Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing State of the Industry Annual Worldwide Progress Report, Wohler’s Associates, Inc.

WIRE+ARC ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING - Chris Borg Costanzi Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) is a fabrication method which utilises standard welding equipment in combination with computer numerical control (CNC) systems. Although automated welding is no new means of fabrication as especially seen in the aerospace and automotive industry, its use to form threedimensional structures is a relatively new concept, even more-so in the context of Architecture and construction.

Through the precise deposition of weld-material, WAAM allows for the realisation of 3d-structures in metal materials including, but not limited to, steel, aluminium and titanium.

Figure 2. Robotics Lab at ISM+D Darmstadt. Photograph by: C. B. Constanzi

FIgure 3. The use of WAAM for thin-shell structures. Photograph by: C. B. Constanzi

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The ability to additively manufacture bespoke metal structures opens up many opportunities for creating new design strategies as well as challenging what the future of architecture could be. The institute of Structural Mechanics and Design (ISM+D) as well as the Institute of Steel Construction and Material Mechanics (IFSW) at the TU Darmstadt are currently researching the applications of WAAM in construction.

Figure 3. Potentials of WAAM for the creation of complex lattice structures.

Photograph by: Chris Borg Constanzi

The research currently being conducted by Chris Borg Costanzi is concerned with the use of WAAM as a means of reinforcing free-form thin sheet metals. The aim of the research is to understand the possibilities of introducing additively-manufactured ribs onto free-form sheets of metal as a means of freezing complex geometries without the need for external clamping.

1. FLAT SHEET METAL ON ROLLER SUPPORTS

Figure 4. Detail of complex lattice structures produced by WAAM. Photograph by: Chris Borg Constanzi

2. SHEET DEFORMED BY TRANSLATION OF ROLLERS TOWARDS EACH OTHER

3. WELDED RIBS MAINTAIN DEFORMED GEOMETRY AFTER REMOVAL OF SUPPORTS

Figure 5. The use of WAAM for thin-shell structures.

Photograph by: Chris Borg Constanzi

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Figure 6. Principle of deforming thin-sheet metal. Rights: Chris Borg Constanzi

Academic Although still in early stages, the research already presents numerous challenges which include consistency in material properties and the printing processes.

However, one of the greatest challenges currently being faced is the minimization of thermal stresses present in welding thin metals which are a cause of deformation of metal structures. In order to overcome this, numerous 3D Printing strategies are being developed to reduce the amount of heat input at any particular point.

Whether for the construction of large-scale free-form

structural components or on-site printed parts, it is quite fathomable that such a fabrication method could form part of buildings in the future. More excitingly, it is also possible to combine WAAM with post-processing techniques such as milling, allowing for smooth and precise structures to be realized which previously were not. As with all fabrication techniques, WAAM does too come with its own drawbacks and difficulties – particularly when it comes to ensuring proper quality control of printed structures.

Figure 7. Robotic deformation of thin-sheet metal. Rights: Chris Borg Constanzi

Chris completed a 5-year Bachelor in Architecture and Civil Engineering at the University of Malta in 2012, specializing in Civil Engineering. In 2016 he received a master’s degree from the Delft University of Technology, specializing in concrete additive manufacturing. Prior to moving to Darmstadt, Chris undertook a 4TU project with the TU Delft and TU Eindhoven for a partiallyprinted concrete shell structure. He currently works at the ISM+D department at the TU Darmstadt documenting additive manufacturing in construction (AM4AE) and is researching the use of robotic Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) for construction.

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3D CLAY PRINTING - Dennis de Witte

Figure 2.3D printed and standardised extrusion bricks - Photograph by: Dennis de Witte

Free form and added functions embedded in one part have become more common over the last decades. By use of an additive process that builds an object by the selective deposition of material, complex geometries and internal geometries can be realised without the use of formwork.

In the research on printing clayey ceramics, performed

by Dennis de Witte, is addressed how 3D printing can be utilised to produce complex shaped brickwork and advanced clayey ceramic building components.

Most clayey ceramic building parts are produced with an extrusion process, or with formwork and simple post processing. Those processes limit the form of the produced bricks significantly. More advanced

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technologies are used with higher grade ceramics, but complex internal geometries are still hard to obtain. The research focuses on the replicability and the geometrical possibilities, as well as on the application of those printed components within the built environment. The first challenge is to understand how Robocasting functions and how the quantity of printed clay is controlled.

Therefore, the process and material parameters need

Academic

Figure 1. 3D printed and standardised extrusion bricks - Photograph by: Dennis de Witte

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to be controlled and the amount of material extruded by the nozzle has to be constantly adapted to the speed of the print head. This seems to directly relate to depositing rate of the material, but it is important that the process allows for fluctuations in the material properties as well, since the composition of the clay batches can differ slightly over time. The second objective is to show how 3D printing can be embedded in the production chain of clayey ceramics and what structural and architectural building components can be made with it.

In comparison to other technologies the material deposition by use of Robocasting is in general larger, has a higher density and has not to be infiltrated afterwards, but the resolution decreases with increasing nozzle diameters. The process can however be equipped with multiple nozzles that work on the same print. This can be utilised to reduce the overall production time, to increase the resolution of the print or to combine different materials with one another. The biggest advantage of Robocasting and the decision to utilise this technology for building components, is the stable green body that can be produced. With Robocasting the green body can be directly fired after drying and some surface post processing, which allows for an almost seamless integration in some existing brickwork production lines.

The printing process changes just the shaping part of a complete production process. Instead of extruding or using formwork, the shaping takes place by 3D printing.

Most other AM technologies involve more production steps.

In this research project a robot arm with an extruder is used to deposit the material. Since it is an extrusionbased process, there is no direct support material available from the layers underneath. Large cantilevers must be supported with a secondary material, if the model cannot be oriented to reduce the cantilever. At the moment a different support material is not available, but experiments with different materials are carried out to facilitate this in future. The products made focus on optimised internal geometries of load bearing brickwork and on special bricks for architecture. This is exact the niche market where the technology can be utilised best, since those products cannot be made with existing technologies, are very labour intensive or require expensive formwork.

Figure 3. 3D printing of clay with a dual extruder. Rights: Dennis de WItte

Dennis studied Building Technology at the Delft University of Technology. After finishing his Master degree in 2015, he joined the façade department of Prof. Knaack in Germany at the Technische Universität Darmstadt. After investigating the possibilities of concrete printing during his studies in Delft, he decided that the focus of his research should be on 3D printing of clayey ceramics in the built environment. The first building related 3D printed objects were printed by him in Darmstadt.

This drew the attention of researchers and companies. The research evolved over the years and after some time industry partners joined his field of research.

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Academic

FDM WITH GLASS FOR FAร ADE APPLICATIONS - Robert Akerboom

Figure 1. Point fixated fused glass connections with different glass rod diameters. Photo by: Robert Akerboom

Glass is an indispensable material for engineers, architects and many other professionals in the built environment. It combines transparency, strength and durability which can be considered unique in the material library. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a type of additive manufacturing in which layers of material are fused together to form a computer modeled (complex) geometry. In this specific research, Robert Akerboom focuses on the potential of fusing glass geometries layer by layer on top of a pane of float glass in order to create all glass building components for faรงades. The purpose of the added fused glass is to function as a fixation point which can be used to connect and therefore transfer loads from the glass pane to the primary or

secondary structure of the building. When we look at how glass faรงades are currently constructed we see that glass units (single sheet, laminated, double glazing, triple glazing etc.) are either clamped on the edge(s), penetrated with boreholes for mechanical fixation or glued into place. The main problems that arise with these connection methods are that they include cold bridges (frame), weaken the glass by drilling (boreholes) and aging (gluing). Moreover, the different materials which are used in these proposals (glass, steel, silicon and polymers) all have different properties to take into account while designing. For example, differences in thermal expansion coefficients demand significant tolerances to integrate in the connection detail.

Figure 2. Current ways of connecting glass in the built environment via clamping, boreholes or adhesives. Rights Robert Akerboom

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A fused glass geometry on and perpendicular to the glass pane could prevent these problems from arising. Frames can be eliminated from the design and the absence of penetrations in the glass or the usage of glue can lead to more durable solutions with a longer functional lifespan.

Also, fusing layers of glass on a flat glass pane can generate local reinforcements to stiffen the pane and or complete glass units.

In order to prove that these theoretical benefits could actually be realised, the first practical experiments of this research consisted of fusing glass rods onto a glass base plane. Both point- and line fixations have been

fused manually using a heated bed and a torch to manage temperature levels. The point fixated samples were subjected to a cantilever bending test and compared to the results of a similar test on single glass rods (similar type rods which were used for fusing the point fixations).

The results show that forces can be transferred through the fused joint with a similar order of magnitude as through the single glass rods. Another encouraging result is the fact that breakage does not necessarily occur in the fused area, suggesting a strong homogeneous bond between the float glass pane and the glass rod. These preliminary findings support the aim of this research and form the fundament of continuation in the upcoming years.

Figure 5. Scheme of the automated glass printer. Rights: Robert Akerboom

Figure 3. Potential connection technique using FGDM. Rights: Robert Akerboom

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Figure 4. Manufacturing fused glass samples by hand. Photo by: Robert Akerboom

Academic

Figure 6. Hand manufactured glass lines fused on a float glass pane . Photo by: Robert Akerboom

This research includes the manufacturing of a machine which can automatically ‘print’ computer generated 3D geometries in glass on a float glass pane, maintaining certain tolerances to ensure replicability of these prints (Figure 5). As end products for the built environment, we foresee glass units with dimensions in the range of 1,5 x 3,0 meters which can be connected to via optimized glass printed geometries perpendicular to the glass plane.

The glasstec is a leading trade fair for the international glass sector. This year, TU Delft BE and AE&T groups participated with two projects: the Glass Swing and the Glass Sandwich.

Interested in the projects? Check: www.tudelft.nl/2018/citg/tu-delft-maakt-schommel-ensandwich-vloer-van-glas/

Since March 2017, Robert has been in function at the Technische Universität Darmstadt for both the organisation of the glass technology live 2018 event and as a researcher in the field of Fused Deposition Modeling with glass. Before this, he completed both his BSc in Architecture and his MSc in Building Technology at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. For his graduation project, he explored the potential of free standing all glass columns assembled from stacked cast elements. After graduation, Robert worked as a façade engineer at Bollinger+Grohmann Ingenieure in Paris before switching to the Technische Universität Darmstadt.

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BouT StudyTrip 2018: Venice Biennale VENICE, ITALY

by Shweta Kamble

“This Italian trip had it all. The architectural splendor of Venice, the medieval beauty of Verona and the innovative spirit of the Biennale.”

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BouT On the occasion of the 16th International Architecture exhibition at the Venice Biennale, BouT organized its annual study trip to Venice from the 17th to 21st of October 2018.

Joining this trip was a group of 16 multinational students and a faculty member from Building Technology.

The aim of the study trips organized by our association is to provide the students with an international experience and exposure to architectural and technological innovations.

This years destination, Venice, also known as a floating city, is famous for its rich culture and centuries old architectural styles. The city also houses interesting modern structures by notable architects such as Carlo Scarpa, OMA, and Tadao Ando. Below are some of the highlights of the trip;

Exploring the City : With the intention to see both the historic and modern architecture of the city, the group first visited Saint Mark’s basilica, a church based on byzantine architectural style located in the heart of the city. Next, they saw the works of architect Carlo Scarpa, known for his technical innovations and detailing including the famous Olivetti showroom, a modern insertion into a historic Venice.

Visit to Venice Biennale : The highlight of this year’s trip was the Venice Architecture Biennale and the unique opportunity to visit the research and design projects at BK Booths displayed at the Biennale for the very first time.

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BouT Meeting with C+S Architects : C+S Architects in Treviso is one of the leading architecture firms in Venice. The group got the opportunity see their office and interact with the lead Architect Carlo Cappai. The firm exhibits a diverse portfolio of works and students were presented with their philosophy, technical and architectural design approach during the visit, helping them pique their academic interest towards technology and design innovation.

Some facts learnt about the monuments along the tour: The arena built in the 1st century, has a capacity of housing 30,000 people and is still functional. The arched Ponte Pietra, the oldest bridge originally from Roman rule was destroyed and rebuilt in 1949. The bridge’s eventful history and the preservation of elements from all periods, from ancient times to the present, have made the bridge a symbol of Verona’s history.

Historic exploration in Verona: Over a day was spent exploring the beauties of Verona. The town was a completely different experience in terms of architectural language and scale. Through a guided bike tour historic monuments such as The Grand Open Air Roman amphitheatre, Basilica of San Zeno, Ponte Pietra bridge and Torre dei Lamberti, the highest tower overlooking the city, were seen.

During the trip, experiences and ideas were shared and exchanged, and bonds were made. From BouT, we hope the group had an enriching experience and have witnessed the relevance of their technological studies in the built environment. Lastly, however most importantly, this trip would not have been possible or complete without Dr. Serdar Asut and the continuous support of Dr.-Ing.Marcel Bilow. Thank you!

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Events

Past & Upcoming

10.09.2018 BT Summer Grills: BouT and second year students welcomed the new BT students

15.10.2018 Glass Floor Building and Testing in collaboration with U-Base, for the design by TU Delft and ARUP to be presented at Glasstec, Dusseldorf

14.09.2018 Exhibition Panel workshop: a concept for new exhibition panel for BK Expo was chosen to be built in the following months

06.12.2018 Visit to Foster+Partners Office in London and to Canary Wharf Crossrail Park

08.10.2018 Lunch Lecture by Arcadis: the company presented their projects and proposed collaboration opportunities to BT students

12.10.2018 BouT 2018 StudyTrip: Venice, the Biennale and Verona (Italy)

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28.02.2018 BouT Events committee is organizing symposium on Robotics in Architecture

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BouT presents a symposium on

ROBOTICS IN ARCHITECTURE Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft February 28, 2019

Each year BouT holds a symposium focusing on current topics in the building and architecture industry. Last year’s symposium, Supernova, attracted over 300 attendees and a slew of professional speakers to discuss space architecture.

This year we expand our focus to the field of robotic architecture. In this symposium we will discuss and learn about the people and projects pushing the boundaries of building by employing highly advanced robotics to produce innovative architecture. We focus on current innovations, the challenges to widespread adoption, and what it takes to use this technology effectively. Be a part of this great event!

Image credit: NCCR Digital Fabrication / Roman Keller

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