Rumoer 72: Kit-of-Parts | Bout | Tu Delft

periodical for the Building Technologist

72. Kit-of-Parts

Boijmans Van Beuningen - Rotterdam

The Curved Mirror Faรงade

Double Curved & Mirror Coated Glass Panel Faรงade

RUMOER 72 - KIT-OF-PARTS 4th Quarter 2019 25th 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.bouttudelft.nl rumoer@praktijkverenigingbout.nl instagram: @bout_tud

Printing www.druktanheck.nl ISSN number 1567-7699 Credits Edited by: Prateek Wahi Article editing:

Anagha Yoganand Aditya Soman Akash Changlani Fredy Fortich

Javier Montemayor Leos Kiana Mousavi

Sophie van Hattum Cover Page

Building D(emountable) © cepezed | Lucas van der Wee

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.

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,- Students €10,- Academic Staff , PhD Students and alumni

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

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

72 | Kit-of-Parts

CONTENT Articles 07 U-Build: Manbey Pod Self Built System -Studio Bark, UK 12

Plug & Play Facades-Premith Satish

34 Circular Facade Systems and Construction-Tania Cecilia CortĂŠs Vargas 49 The Journey of Andreas Holterman -Enginear

7

Interview 18

Cepezed Kit-of-Parts Methodology -ir. Ronald Schleurholts

40 Disrupting the industry -Pieter Stoutjesdijk

BouT

18

4

29

Case Study : Tamedia -Anagha Yogananada, Aditya Soman

53

ArchiPrix 2020 Pre-Selection -Prateek Wahi

59

Bout Study Trip 2019 -Tarang Gupta

62

Events Overview

Editorial

EDITORIAL Dear Readers, It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I present our first publication for the academic year 2019-2020. With the new academic year, we welcomed 45 new students from around the globe into the Building Technology Programme. The year is also extraordinary since Bout is celebrating its 25th Anniversary. It has been a great journey so far where Bout as a community has grown at lengths.

Rumoer committee 2019-2020

To take the legacy forward Bout also welcomed new members into our various committees, growing to 30 committee members in total. The Rumoer Committee had to say goodbye to Valeria Piccioni, Erron Estrado and Tania Cortes Vargas. We wish them best for their future endeavours. However, we also welcomed six new members: Anagha Yoganand, Aditya Soman, Akash Changlani, Fredy Fortich, Kiana Mousavi and Sophie van Hattum. It is exhilarating to see the committee expand, and I am sure that Rumoer can grow even more with your efforts.

For our 72nd publication, we focused on the integration of designing, construction and assembly process via KIT-OF-PARTS methodology.

Kit-of-parts can briefly be understood as a pool of different building elements where every element is optimised for production, assembly and disassembly. It is a method of object-oriented

construction technique which requires integration and coordination between architects, engineers, manufacturers and builders intending to achieve the efficient and cost-effective design. Therefore, the next issue of RuMoer would want to dig deeper into this methodology of modern construction technique.

The issue includes articles and interviews from design firms and graduate students who are working on the concept. With this issue, we also include case study done by the Rumoer Committee members for Tamedia Building, Zurich designed by Shigeru Ban, concerning the idea of Kit-of-Parts technique. With this issue we hope to start a dialogue about the innovative Kit-of-Parts technology.

I hope you enjoy reading it !!!

Prateek wahi Editor-in-chief | Rumoer 2019-2020

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Samen bouwen aan een prettige en gezonde wereld met duurzame gevels.

Dรกt geeft ons energie!

Projects

U-BUILD: Manbey Pod Self-build system

by Studio Bark, UK

As a society we are detached from our manufacturing processes, and so we are often not aware of the way that our buildings are produced and the amount of waste that comes out of the process.

Introduction For every six or seven houses that are built in the UK, one house worth of waste will go to landfill or incineration (ref Duncan Baker Brown). This is especially relevant in a country where the Parliament and the RIBA have declared an environment and climate emergency.

The U-Build project is an attempt to find an alternative to polluting and high energy ‘business as usual’ types of construction. It is a circular economy ready design solution that aims to reduce the energy used in building whilst also empowering end users through engagement.

U-Build’s approach to construction can be thought of a bit like big Lego. It is a kit of standardized timber components that can be assumed from flat pack, and then stacked into myriad forms and arrangements, to create the main structural frame of a building. The system removes many of the difficulties associated with traditional construction, enabling individuals and communities to construct their own homes and buildings.

The system uses precision CNC machining to create the kit of parts. The hybrid offsite approach removes many of the difficulties associated with traditional construction, harnessing the accuracy, speed and repeatability of offsite manufacture. At the same time, it reduces the scale and complexity of conventional offsite techniques,

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enabling the building shell to be assembled by people with limited skills and experience using only simple hand tools.

Off site production, on site assembly Since the components are small enough to be produced in a small local CNC fabricator, rather than a large framing factory, it enables self builders to assemble components on site without heavy lifting gear, or specialist training.

This participatory model is inherently scalable, liberated from the constraints of a more centralised approach.

The UK self-build portal suggests that it takes 6-9 months to construct a residential house. Box House showed that an equivalent U-Build house can be delivered in 4 months. The offsite production process reduces errors and inaccuracy to a minimum. Any waste timber that is produced is contained in a clean, central location, making it easy to transfer to a specialist recycling facility (as opposed to timber waste on site, which is easily contaminated).

As the frame is based on a limited number of standardised components, parts can be easily replaced if damaged.

The flexible and demountable nature of the system makes it easy to reconfigure areas of the building in future as required.

Figure 1. Kit of parts by Studio Bark.

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Figure 2. Process showing installation in workshop .

Self building communities U-build has been designed for community led construction, with a template idea for the development of a self build community as follows: •

Members of the community come together to purchase a small kit of parts sufficient to build a community workshop.

•

The community builds the workshop together as a pilot project, with U-Build acting as a facilitator,

•

A CNC machine is installed in the workshop and members of the self build community are trained to use it.

•

The community use the CNC machine to cut new parts for their own buildings and build them using the skills they learned during the pilot project.

•

The CNC workshop / hub remains as an asset for community use, for making new buildings, adaptations and furniture.

•

The CNC workshop / hub can create starter kits and act as a training hub for other communities, and the whole process begins once again.

Projects

This idea was borne out in reality, with the development of an affordable workspace community in Hackney Wick, East London. Faced with demolition of their workspaces (for new housing) a group of local organisations in collaboration with the local authority, have managed to secure a GLA grant to build its own series of new U-Build workspaces in the carpark of an existing building. As of the date of writing, planning permission has been achieved, the first CNC workshop has been built, and purchases have been agreed for the CNC machine to go in it. Once installed, the machine will begin cutting parts for the second phase of the project in January 2020.

Environmental impact Whole life costs are reduced through a robust 'fabric first' approach including high-levels of insulation and inherent airtightness.

The system uses natural materials wherever possible, but it is fair to note that the system is circular economy ready, rather than circular economy compliant, as there are still some elements of the build process, for example the glue in the plywood, which to date has not been fully biodegradable, however new technologies are changing that rapidly: Our preferred timber supplier has just released a bio based Plywood glue so we will incorporate that as soon as it is commercially ready.

A study conducted by environmental consultants Atmos Lab concluded that the embodied carbon for a U-Build house would be roughly half that for an equivalent house built with traditional construction methods (238 kgCO2/ m2 as compared to 550 kgCO2/m2 ). The supply chain uses materials with environmental certifications, including FSC and PEFC, such as Riga Birch plywood and WISA spruce plywood. Other non-toxic, ecological materials are specified including sheep’s wool insulation.

As material technologies and transport networks improve, we would like to get to a point in the process, where our buildings have zero, or even positive impact at the time they are built (rather than just by offsetting that energy with solar panels).

Figure 3. Interior space with skylight on roof .

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Figure 4. Steps of self organising system process .

There are three different possibilities: a BIPV panel (climate components), a green façade panel (biodiversity), and a media façade (active technology).

These three types of panels are just conceptual examples, as actually the possibilities are broader than this. As long as the frames are able to carry the load of the panel and the cross-section of the panel is compatible with the frame, the type of infill can be easily replaced, adding new functions, aesthetic qualities, and with the possibility to overcome change.

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Self organising systems The system can also used by communities on a large scale - as witnessed during the October 2019 London climate change protests. The environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion used a modified version of the system to build rapid-deployment mobile structures, including sculptural roadblock towers, stages, seating and storage. With a self organising strategy befitting its decentralised organisation, the cutting patterns (which were gifted to the organisation) were modified to make the units much easier to understand by people who had never seen the boxes before.

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Towards Circular Adaptable Scenarios in Window Systems As one of the main design tools was DfA, different circularity scenarios that tackle directly adaptability concepts were developed. One of the most relevant scenarios was the addition of new functions. This is achieved through understanding the window as a fixed frame, with a flexible infill that can be easily exchanged.

Additionally, the window itself can also serve as a modular system with internal divisions (similar to a curtain wall).

The use of architecture as a tool for protest and civil disobedience is a fascinating subject of study, and is no doubt a typology that will be tested increasingly, as designers look to use their skills to participate in these accelerating movements for change.

As U-Build develops we hope to empower more people with the tools and skills to take on their own projects and work towards solutions that can form a key part of a circular economy solution moving forward. In the context of the climate crisis, it is also worth acknowledging that designers will only have limited power to make change within their own work, unless they also use their power as citizens to contribute to systemic changes.

Projects

Summary With the rise of automation and offsite manufacture, there is the potential for great savings in time and cost when compared with traditional build processes. However in the rush to use these systems it is important that we do not lose sight of the end user. The approach outlined above accepts that computer aided technology and AI will become more common part of our construction process, but aims to celebrate that by putting the user in control of the process, rather than just at the receiving end of it.

Figure 5. Door and window openings in U-build system.

Studio Bark, UK Studio Bark is an award-winning architecture practice creating inspiring and ambitious buildings. We are a collaborative team of architects, designers and makers based in East London. As a young studio, our work is diverse, interesting and constantly evolving. We believe in the transformational potential of the built-environment and have a passion for outstanding environmentally-driven architecture. We deliver bespoke, unconventional buildings which are inherently contextual and inspired by meaningful investigation of site.

Environmental design is a core part of the process: our work incorporates best practice principles while attempting to push the boundaries of ecologically-conscious architecture. We believe that compelling architecture can realise the latent potential of a site and bring joy to people’s lives.

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72 | Kit-of-Parts

Plug & Play Facades

A brief introduction to Plug & Play approach in building envelopes

Graduation Thesis by Premith Satish

London based studies by Synovate market research reported that requirements of global curtain wall systems have increased by 10% in compound annual growth rate to about USD 18.7 Billion in the year of 2009. With such large requirements in consideration with data from almost a decade ago, one can determine that many buildings with curtain wall systems as faรงades are approaching their end-of-life expectancy and will soon require intervention.

Introduction The graduation project primarily focuses on Faรงade and Climate design. The concept Plug & Play approach to faรงades aims to offer one more possible solution to challenges posed to most of the proposed and existing tall buildings around the world. Where due to ageing facades, the performance of the buildings may reduce.

Alternatively, the increase in maintenance costs and utility costs will render the building undesirable and hence cause premature demolition of the facade or the building itself. Ageing of the facade would mean that its performance would decrease exponentially both structurally and in terms of the energy performance of the buildings it is serving. Dilapidation of the curtain wall facades can occur due to the natural course of things when materials such as vapour barrier, waterproofing, EPDM, neoprene, glass and other relevant materials will deteriorate due to seasonal curing, maturity and UV radiation of the sun. In contrast, most of the built structure can ideally last up to another 100 or more years before it fails. It would be unfortunate to demolish the entire building or even the whole faรงade when only a few components need replacing. A prudently designed

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faรงade which incorporates the aspects of disassembly, maintenance feasibility, energy generation and many more considerations will prolong the practical life and performance of the buildings.

While comparing the average service life of the materials (Figure 1), the study reveals that different materials have different end of service life. Mixed plastics such as silicone sealant and thermal breaks tend to have a service life limit of 20 to 30 years as per specifications of leading manufacturers. However, in practice, the values of facade end-of-service (ESL) are much less based on the geographical location. And, when the same materials are multiplied overtime (Figure 2a) until the life time considering the facade is replaced every 30 years or so (Figure 2b) for an average concrete highrise building (for example) it can be observed that certain materials overlap. This overlap indicates that the materials could have lasted longer but have been replaced causing material wastage and some materials come short of ESL causing the building to perform poorly.

Aluminium

Aluminium Aluminium

InsulatedInsulated Glazing Glazing

Insulated Glazing

Mixed Plastics Mixed Plastics

Mixed Plastics

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Aluminium Aluminium ALUMINIUM

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Stainless Steel Mineral Wool Stainless Stainless Steel Mineral Wool Steel Mineral Wool Insulated Glazing Mixed Plastics INSULATION Mixed Plastics Mixed Plastics MATERIAL MIXED PLASTICS

Composite Panels

INSULATED Insulated Glazing Insulated Glazing GLAZING STAINLESS STEEL

Composite Panels Panels Composite

COMPOSITE MATERIAL

1170

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intervention methodology intervention intervention framework 50

methodology methodology 11% MATERIAL QUANTITY frameworkframework background Stainless Steel Mineral Wool Composite Panels Stainless Steel Mineral Wool Composite Panels 22% Stainless Steel introduction Mineral Wool MATERIAL QUANTITY Panels MATERIAL QUANTITY background background Composite 13% introduction introduction

11% 13%

introduction

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00

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years

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L QUANTITY VS SERVICE LIFE

Figure 1. Percentage of consisting materials in a typical curtain wall (left) material based end of service life (right) intervention methodology framework

background

MATERIAL QUANTITY VSDisassembly SERVICE LIFE Design for

introduction

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EPDM

background MATERIAL QUANTITY background MATERIAL QUANTITY

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Figure 2a. Overview of ESL of existing facades in comparison to probable ESL of the building

Modularity advocates design for disassembly, which allows for easy accessibility for maintenance, replacing parts or components, reducing the reliability on heavy transportation, elimination of the process of demolition and possibly prolonging the use of any material until its physical service limit. Apart from a maintenance perspective, modularity also allows for disassembly and reassembly of the system elsewhere. Further, ensuring that the components will not go to landfill or any other waste disposal system after the original purpose served.

The same method could potentially be used in a different building with similar boundary conditions. Hence, plug & play design based on modularity principles would make a positive impact on the life-cycle of the facade construction in terms of material savings.

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The benefit of PnP system is that the designer or manufacturer does not always have to design and integrate all the components into the device during its development. Instead, they tend to make provisions for future own or third-party enhancements to be added to the system during its life in use. Another benefit of this system apart from easy attach-ability or detach-ability is that the owner gets an option to customize the devices they want for their use instead of taking a package tool which they may not use at all.

Many research facilities and organizations in the world are testing if this technology can be used in the building industry (especially facades). One such system is the MPPF system since 2008 called as the K-Projektes Multifunctional Plug&Play Facade by Wolfgang Streicher, Thomas Mach, Michael Grobbauer, J. Mario Müller, Hermann Schranzhofer, Daniel Brandl and their research team in TU Graz. This research focuses on

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developing and testing intelligent facade systems with multifunctional components such as shading system, Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV), Services and Building Maintenance Systems (BMS) and many more technologies. The benefit of this system is that it has high prefabrication rate and can provide improved energy performance for both old and new buildings. The research is still relatively young, and the researches are still trying to solve engineering aspects such as static, humidity, transport, energy, acoustics, shading and cost. The primary ability of any plug and play is that each functional construction can be attached and detached non-destructively (Figure 4). PnP allows for complete removal and replacement of panels during the utilization phase (Figure 4). Another nomenclature for the same concept could be “unplug & replay “ (Mach, Grobbauer, Streicher, & Müller, 2015). Which as it sounds means that facade panel can be removed from a grid of panels and replaced whenever the requirement arises.

150 120 SERVICE YEARS

72 | Kit-of-Parts

Plug and Play (PnP) Plug & play is a term which is quite popular in the computing industry, which ideally means that specific devices or updates can be added to an existing system, without the need for manual intervention. PnP offers a high level of prefabrication compared to conventional façade system. In simplest terms, the concept is defined as a feature of a system that allows a functional device (Electrical or Mechanical) to be used as soon as it is connected. Facade design hence should also undergo a degree of standardization. Furthermore, to make it future proof, apart from disassembly, the facade will have to assume more responsibilities by absorbing the ideas such as Active Building Envelope (ABE). ABE (Figure 3) could incorporate additional functionality to a facade such as photovoltaic panels, solar thermal panels, shading systems, and maybe in future more concepts like thermoelectric systems, lighting systems and many more.

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Figure 2b. Technical life cycle overview of ESL of existing facades in comparison to probable ESL of the building in maintenance perspective

Graduate Figure 3. Typologies of potential plug & play facade types

Figure 4. Design function overview

Figure 5. Disassembly Scheme

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1. Integrate ABE: To explore for energy production. The strategy will help the current systems to rely less on the power grid, which is mostly from non-renewable sources and elements such as photovoltaic panels, solar thermal panels & thermoelectrical coolers will add additional functionality.

2. Focus on design for disassembly: To regulate the Life Cycle Impact of building materials, design for disassembly is the call for the hour. Potential materials are discarded prematurely, which causes a lot of material wastage. This strategy will help

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120 100 80 60 SERVICE YEARS

The primary function of a facade is to protect from the weather and climate-related elements. Nevertheless, as technology progresses, the discipline of facade engineering also has to a greater extent improved and now allows for fire protection, humidity control, glare protection, daylighting and overtime has a vast array of increasing functions. The multifunctionality aspect enables facades to assume newer technologies within its domain and hence reduce the complexity of separate building integrated systems. Facades have over the years adopted an ample amount of strategies to reduced materials in construction, and careful facade design can help abate just that.

The design here challenges to combine multiple concepts into one functional conceptual component and hence, includes within its umbrella of functionality the following key aspects:

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40 20 00

Figure 6a. Proposed option for extending the ESL of curtain wall facade and hence the building

120 100 90 75 60 SERVICE YEARS

72 | Kit-of-Parts

Factors such as technical failure, poor performance, seasonal maintenance, or replacement of components which have reached their service life maturity determines the need for replacement. Plug&Play does not necessarily has to be defined by the entire facade panel; it could be a functional part or even parts of the construction of the panels. The benefit of this system is that failed or matured components can be exchanged for a practical alternative.

50 30 00

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Figure 6b. Technical life cycle overview of ESL of proposed facade in comparison to expected ESL of the building in maintenance perspective

the facade reduce the buildings reliability on expensive non-renewables and help save material at the same time (Figure 6a).

3. Focus on accessibility: Accessibility is a solution to the above two problems (Figure 6b); the concept remains to allow for easy accessibility of the facade elements to replace, clean or maintain them in any

The final design contains a set of parts which can be accessed at any point in time. However, as shown in Figure 5 and 7, each component will be accessed and removed at a certain point of time where the requirement aligns with the need for regular maintenance. This accessibility allows for more than one component to be removed and does not cause disturbances during maintenance.

The design also now eliminates the use of bulky and expensive BMU’s, which shoots up the cost of facade related expenses. Saving the maintenance equipment expenses for the life of the building will most likely save the cost and material worth of one whole facade in the future.

Graduate

required way. Hence, solving issues of depending on massive, expensive building maintenance units (BMU) on top of the building and high risk conditions for people. The facade maintenance crew will now be working from inside instead of the outside. The panels will have an access door, which will be sealed shut by mechanical systems such as pressure plates and cover caps. Only a skilled maintenance worker will be able to open the panel and service any component which is damaged and requires replacement or just the regular seasonal maintenance. It can be observed in the proposed design already that the nature of change in angle currently of 22 degrees of the horizontal overhang shading with PV to adjust to the orientation.

Figure 7. Exploded view of the whole system

Premith Satish Bachelor– Architecture MSc – Building Technology An architect of Indian origin, currently based in Dubai, UAE . He is working as a Development Manager for Swied & Sweid; a Dubai-based boutique real estate firm. He graduated Cum-Laude from TU Delft in July 2019 with an Honours Degree in MSc Architecture and Building Technology. He has a LEED Green Associate accreditation and the TiSD Annotation for Technology in Sustainable Development, specializing specifically to design and evaluate buildings to have minimum impact on the environment. He is experienced in designing and managing various aspects of a development project from concept to execution. He is keen to discern and bridge the knowledge gap between aesthetic design, sustainable practice and technical functionality and to ensure all his projects result in a practical 'value-engineered' product.

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Interview with ir. Ronald Schleurholts

cepezed KoP Methodology

by Fredy Fortich

Š cepezed | Lucas van der Wee

Kit of Parts is an object-oriented construction approach coordination

which

requires

between

integration

architects,

and

engineers,

manufacturers and builders for the most efficient and cost-effective design. This can also be understood as a pool of different building elements where every element is optimized for production, assembly and disassembly.

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1. How would you define the kit of parts? Does cepezed understand the concept as described in the introduction?

Working with kits of parts is in the DNA of our office, it is our building methodology from the very beginning.

The cepezed office was started in the 1970s by three students that decided to take on projects. Their main aim was to professionalize the building industry, making something valuable and of high quality. We believe we should keep the building process away from the building site as much as possible and prepare parts and segments in the factory as much as possible.

Our vision is to avoid on-site fabrication, concrete pouring or welding wherever possible. Instead, building should be limited to the on-site assembly of prefabricated components.

We have various reasons for working with a kit of parts.

First and most importantly, it results in better quality due to a more controlled production. Another motive is that building structures put together with a kit of parts have a far more flexible layout and are thus more open to change. Finally, if a building is not used anymore, it can easily be taken apart if it was constructed with a kit of parts.

In all our buildings, the same methods and concepts are applied. A good example is the Westraven building in Utrecht. The high-rise already existed. We transformed it into a very sustainable building with windows that can be opened and with a lot of daylight. The low-rise section was completely dry-assembled with prefabricated parts. Only the foundations, in this case, are of poured concrete.

Interview

2. Explain some of your projects which are relevant regarding the kit-of-parts-approach.

All the connections are very clean. You can still take them apart or add an extra wing if necessary. The whole building is set up as a kit of parts. We did that not solely for the sake of circularity, but also because we wanted to have an adaptable building with the best quality for the price.

Figure 1. Kit of Parts along the years Š cepezed

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Figure 2. Amsterdam Temporary Courthouse © Léon van Woerkom

Another striking example is the temporary Courthouse in Amsterdam, that was especially designed for deand remounting in the future, won the Amsterdam Architecture Prize and ended up first in a recent survey on demountability. The joints of the columns and beams are all bolted. In contrast with common practice in the Dutch construction industry, the prefabricated concrete floor slabs are not finished with a concrete compression layer and are detachable due to an ingenious method of fixing them to the steel structure. All the ducts and pipes of the utilities are under the raised technical floors. The building’s installations are fully integrated and do not overlap.

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The kit-of-parts-approach is also very suitable for segmenting a building into bigger components. For the Amsterdam Temporary Courthouse, we needed specific building elements such as an entrance, a flight of stairs, a connecting bridge, etc. Instead of combining everything into a whole, we chose to design these all as separate components. So, when the building is taken apart for rebuild elsewhere, we can change the position of the entrance or stairs. By separating the “specials” like the entrance or the toilets as common denominators we can change their position within a standardized and repetitive grid.

On the one hand, we commonly focus on the joints, not on the dimensions of the large, completely prefabricated components. For example, we do not have a fixed length of modules like there is in e.g. container architecture. For us, span differences are not an issue, it does not matter if the beam is 6 or 8 m long. This way, we are much more flexible. When designing, we can simply cut or elongate the length of a beam if we use the same type of connection at the end. We do not neglect the diversity of building dimensions. But especially if you want to remain flexible during the process, a focus on the connections is very important. On the other hand, we do try to standardize the lengths; partly because it is more efficient, but also because it is cheaper to make all beams and columns of the same lengths.

As for the details of the connections, by the way, these are very minimalistic. Nicolas Grimshaw, for example, makes beautiful buildings that are very expressive. But the architects of cepezed avoid bothering people with their designs; they are there, but not in your face. If you look closely, you can see the connections and their detailing, but the casual observer won’t really notice them.

Interview

3. Do your current designs contribute to a defined design language for your future projects? Do you believe the kit-of-parts-method results in limitations regarding future designs?

We are not part of any “High Tech” movement, because expressive detailing is a style in these movements.

For us, buildings are about a lot more than solely their aesthetics.

4. Have any of the connections or parts that you invented made their way outside of your office to the industry?

Definitely, the most profound example stems from the 1980’s. At the time, we looked at cooling trucks, that were able to maintain a low temperature of -20°C with a very thin and lightweight construction. The façade of the cooling truck basically consists of insulation in between two sheets of steel. Together with the cooling truck producer, we then introduced the sandwich panel, which is now widely used.

As a first prototype, we even built a new house for producer with these panels. The sandwich panel is a smart construction element: it is very lightweight, you can produce and prefabricate them in different dimensions, and they have insulation capacities that are way better than traditional walls.

Figure 3. Detailed Axonometric © cepezed

When designing components, we frequently ask ourselves if we can integrate multiple functions in one single element. For example, often times the stability structure can also function as a distributor of air or wiring. This results in buildings with a high intelligence per kilogram; when you make something smarter and integrate different functions, you use less materials. This saves resources but also makes for cleaner aesthetics.

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We took down one of the end walls, prolonged the structure and then used the same façade elements to close it back up.

Figure 4. Building D(emountable) © cepezed

5. Do you use standard parts available in the industry, or do you design all components in the office?

The concrete slabs of the Temporary Courthouse were an existing product, but we modified them. Often, we work with existing materials and modify them to suit our needs. Traditionally in the Netherlands, all building elements are welded, melted or anchored together during construction; therefore, clean, detachable connections between the different components make for the first step towards circularity. The next step is to look at each component and optimize it, make it smarter.

For example, elements can often be produced with less material. Or conceived bio-based. Or even be produced using second-hand materials.

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For restaurant and meeting center The Green House in Utrecht, we applied reused materials from scratch. We were assigned to transform an old military building into a contemporary office building with a pavilion almost directly adjoining the office. From the old military block, we used as many materials we could for the pavilion.

For example, all the glass in the pavilion’s façade stems from the old military building. The interior separation walls came from the SOM building in Rotterdam. We even used bricks from a quay from a nearby city. So here we used many second-hand materials. Finally, even the concrete foundations are circular: the pavilion is not founded on piles, but on underground Stelcon-slabs with blocks on them. Both slabs and block can easily be removed afterwards.

7. What goes through your mind as you design? Do you Design for a building to be disassembled in the future?

We consider buildings as products. A product is something that has a value, a (high) cost, and a certain functionality. If it ceases to be used, the building should be able to change for another use or even demounted.

Our aim is not to create an architectural icon for the ages, but rather a thing that can be used and adapted.

6. Have you had an experience of taking some parts of a building and reusing them in another?

8. Do you think that this methodology has a challenge in terms of aesthetic value? From the experience within cepezed, does this object-oriented construction style limit design possibilities? Are all the products destined to result in regular, predictable forms, to comply with the reusability aspect?

The Centre for Human Drug Research, which we did in the 1990’s, had a perforated screen on both elongated sides. The screens functioned as a second skin façade, to block sun and wind. After 10 years of use, we extended the building using the same construction system.

The kit-of-parts-methodology is simply another toolbox. In our case, we still have a lot of freedom in the way we express our buildings. We do not use bricks because of their high weight, but instead make use of lightweight façade panels combined with different

Interview Figure 5. cepezed offices Š Jannes Linders

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Figure 6. Building D(emountable) Š cepezed | Lucas van der Wee

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finishing or second skin options such as textiles, Corten steel, lamellas or wood. The joints between materials are more important than the materials themselves. Of course, we could also fake brickwork with tiles but we much prefer buildings with integrity: buildings that show how they are made.

refined craftsmanship. Therefore, we already refine the details in our designs. The different components are then prefabricated in the manufacturing plant, with a very high quality and utter accuracy. On-site, they only need dry-assembly. This process strongly reduces the need for on-site labor.

9. Do you consider this construction technique new in the building industry or has it been around before? Has cepezed used the approach in the past?

10. Is BIM a vital tool for this technique? Does cepezed work only with BIM or is there another way of achieving the same degree of coordination ?

In the past days, labor was cheap and materials were expensive. Therefore, there was a surplus of time that allowed for beautiful, labor-intensive details. But nowadays, labor is much too expensive for on-site

One of the reasons we were one of the first offices to work in BIM was that BIM perfectly matched our way of working. It was an obvious choice because, we already used the kit-of-parts-methodology. Revit-families

11. Explain the design process within cepezed Initially, we always try to design nice spatial structure with sequences of different scales. The façade is often one of the last things designed, because it changes the most over the course of the design process. From the very first sketches, we continuously think about how the building can or must be built. This attention for practicalities allows us to develop a more congruent design. We also spend a lot of time on the integration of the different design disciplines.

Over the course of time, we developed very nice façade details working hand in hand with the suppliers, who know best what can or cannot be made. Sometimes, we give them the assignment straight away and plan ahead of the contractor. Contractors will often say our design is too difficult, innovative, or expensive, and they cannot provide warranty for its execution.

Interview

and BIM-models are based on a similar approach. In it, buildings are an assembly of various construction elements. Also, BIM-modelling requires quite a degree of abstract thinking. That suits our team pretty good: it is almost completely composed of very high-skilled, welleducated architects. We even do not have draftsmen, the designers do all the elaboration themselves. BIM allows us a smarter integration of the utilities, connections and components.

By working directly with the suppliers, we know if our solutions can or cannot be made. And how much they cost. The contractor then becomes the party that coordinates the tendering of the components and the site. This way of thinking helps the traditional contractor because nowadays they are mostly doing a logistic tendering process, instead of doing the construction themselves.

Furthermore, as we design with clear connections between the façade and the structure, the contractor can more easily tender each component independently.

Figure 7. Building D(emountable) © cepezed | Lucas van der Wee

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12. Regarding the design phase, when you start a new building, do you start from zero when designing the connections, or do you have a catalog of connections that you improve upon?

The ideas of how to mount or unmount are always similar, although we have variable principles that we apply depending on the building type. If it’s a highrise building, it makes sense to have different kinds of structural joints. If you have a four-story building, you might think of having a prefab frame with a low tolerance.

For each project, we think of the best possible way to construct it. Nonetheless, the core ways of reasoning remain the same.

On the product level, there is a continuous evolution.

Structural floors of wood are a perfect example. During our initial years, we used wooden floors quite often. Then for about 20 years, we did not use them at all. Now, we have returned to wooden floors in the shape of prefabricated floor elements. When used appropriately, these timber components have great acoustic characteristics and load bearing capabilities for efficient spans. We seek to continue evolving on whatever product is available.

13. Do you also design furniture?

We often do. When we design pieces of furniture, we also think of them as a kit of parts. For example, the benches we did for Schiphol airport. If you look closely, you see that they are composed of multiple detachable elements: the main beam, the kit for seating, the headrest, the stands, the glass tables, the foot rest. The benches have a main beam that can be elongated or cut; they can therefore be compiled in a flexible manner. With the detachable elements, a wide range of configurations can be realized. So our furniture is also a kit of parts.

We work from the same ideas, be it in architecture or furniture.

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Figure 8. Schipol Airport Furniture © Studio van Assendelft

14. Are you also involved in the subsequent phase of the use of the building? Monitoring the elements? Who is involved in that phase?

Usually we do go back to hear how our buildings are functioning; we do not seek to change them but rather to learn what works well. Additionally, many of our clients have come back to us when they need to expand or build a new building. The Centre of Human Drug Research came back to us repeatedly and now we are working on their fourth building.

An alternative to the traditional process of “finishing a building” is the Amsterdam Temporary Courthouse, for which we got a government assignment together with the contractor. After 5-7 years, we will have to take the whole building back and see after proper re-use. For this reason, we anticipated on detaching and rebuilding the whole structure. That’s a very special feature for that project, and we hope to be able to do more projects based on the same approach.

Interview 15. For you, what is the future of the kit-of-partsapproach?

We have been working with this method from the very beginning of our office and now, we see that the rest of the industry is catching up. Recently, a cooperation of different parties in the sustainability field have jointly launched a “detachability index�. The Temporary Court in Amsterdam ranked highest of all test cases, but restaurant The Green House also did very well. Societywide, there is a lot more focus on the kit-of-partsmethodology and designing for disassembly then there was before. This concept is now coming up everywhere.

An example is the Erasmus University Rotterdam, that now explicitly requests demountable buildings. It is going in that direction, although there are still very big steps to be taken.

On the other hand, if the industry seeks to refurbish secondhand products within the kit-of-parts-approach, there is a shortage of suppliers. After all, older buildings that were built in the last 50-100 years were never designed for disassembly.

The Dutch government does have serious intentions however. Likewise, all designers have hopeful purpose.

Still, we must stop seeing detachability as a nice gimmick, but rather consider it a great opportunity to create a more sustainable world with a truly circular industry. It is up to us as designers and engineers to realize the great potential.

Figure 9. cepezed office Š Lucas van der wee

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Figure 1. Double Height Volume at the Entrance Lobbyt Š Architizer, didier boy de la tour photographe

Building study to understand the application of Kit-of-Parts Technology

Case Study

Tamedia Office Building, ZĂźrich

By Anagha Yoganand and Aditya Soman

The media house envisaged their new building extension to harness their vision of blending the contemporary digital and traditional print media cultures under one roof. The spaces, therefore, are open and flexible to encourage interaction and promote a healthy work environment between the two cultures.

Introduction A striking demonstration of timber construction is realised in a seven-storey tall office building, completed in 2013, in Zurich. The building is designed and visualised by Shigeru Ban Architects in collaboration with BlumerLehmann Corporation. It is a renewed extension to the existing headquarters of Tamedia, a leading Swiss private media group. Tamedia was envisioned as a load-bearing structure designed for dry assembly on-site which largely mimicked the concept of building blocks.

Committee members from Rumoer visited the building as a part of the study trip to Zurich organised by Bout. It was exhilarating to study the building and to understand how the Kit-of-Parts methodology is employed in different phases of the building. The kit-of-parts methodology is closely related to the integration of design, fabrication and assembly. The tamedia building exemplifies this idea of seamless integration of building components.

The study was carried out by knowledge gathered during a guided building tour by the communications manager Andres C. Nitsch. The study also referred to the literature available on the building.

Architectural Concept The media house envisaged the new building extension to harness their vision of blending the contemporary digital and traditional print media cultures under one roof. The spaces, therefore, are open and flexible to encourage interaction and promote a healthy work environment between the two cultures.

Shigeru Ban, the appointed architect for this project, conceptualised Tamedia entirely in exposed Timber. The load-bearing structural framework consisting of timber columns, beams and joineries are all designed and built without using any screws, nails or metal fasteners. The whole construction kit consists of 1600 prefabricated timber elements, CNC-milled, factory manufactured and transported to site for assembly as a three-dimensional puzzle. The construction of the building took around 22 months until completion.

Figure 2. Initial sketches Source: Andres C. Nitsch

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The Kit-of-Parts: Glulam Structural timber elements Sourcing the right timber:

The beam couples are connected by an oval beech plywood dowel which precisely sits into the oval inserts made in the rectangular columns. Figure 3 shows the connection detail of the beech template inside the spruce joint.

The main idea behind material selection concerning the type of timber was emphasised by the architectural desire to keep the material palette local. Spruce, a locally grown timber in the Swiss Alps was hence selected. It is also proved to be cost-effective. However, the main problem encountered with this selection is the warp generated in the timber log due to the internal release of tension while harvesting them from the alpine forests. Additionally, these spruce sections also had many branch holes.

Therefore spruce grown in flat planes, sourced from Austria, seemed ideal for the structural timber elements.

The complete assembly required 2000 m3 of timber from Austria for the structural members and another 2000 m3 from Switzerland for constructing the flooring panels.

Components: The building’s length of 31.8m is divided into eight structural timber frames at every 5.45m. Each structural frame consists of four continuous columns that extend till the eave height of 22.5m and a beam couple spanning 11m that connect these columns at every floor height.

An oval peripheral girder beam further connects these frames. All these components were manufactured with high precision using CNC milling with a tolerance of 2mm.

Figure 3. Beech Plywood Dowel Conenction.

Source: Andres C. Nitsch

Connections: The elements and their connections were designed accounting for lateral stability as the architectural vision eliminated the use of cross bracings. All connections are friction fit, which implies that every element needed to be precise with least tolerances to ensure ideal load transfer via contact. The connection between two spruce timber elements lacks friction, which resulted in designing unique connections made of beech plywood to reinforce the required friction and allow load transfer.

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Figure 4. Connection Detail. Source: Andres C. Nitsch

Case Study

The flooring in the public space on the ground floor was the only non-prefabricated element in the whole building.

The flooring was a highly customised solution where the floor was laid in a terrazzo style which is commonly found in European plazas. One hundred thousand stones were sourced from De chino which is the southern part of Switzerland. They were cut and laid individually to create the flooring pattern. The colours chosen for the flooring pattern by Shigeru Ban were symbolic of the material palette used in the building. Beige for Spruce, green for glass, and Greyish black for the aluminium and metal parts of the building.

Transportation and logistics Figure 5. Terrazzo Style Flooring. Source: Andres C. Nitsch

Around 80% of the building components were prefabricated in a factory, then transported to a storage house and finally brought to site as per requirement. The logistics were rather challenging to manage, considering the inner-city location of this site. Only one driving lane was available for transportation and unloading of all building components including the large timber sections such as the columns and roof trusses.

Assembly

Figure 6. Assembly of Roof Truss. Source: Andres C. Nitsch

Flooring and Ceiling elements Flooring and ceiling elements were also pre-assembled and erected on site. These consisted of timber floorboards with 8 cm sand filling for increasing the weight of the floor for structural stability and sound insulation. There was a requirement of cut-outs for flooring for including the building services requirements; hence, the flooring was made in double layers with particle board on top of cassettes filled with sand.

The assembly started from the south end of the existing building. The eight timber frames were first erected successively on-site, every preceding one being a template for the successive ones. Mobile cranes lifted these pre-assembled timber frames and positioned in place. While these components were elevated, cracking sounds could be heard until all connecting elements were in place. This was a result of friction fit joints that allowed minimal tolerances. The timber frames were held inclined and gradually made vertical as the oval girder beams were being positioned floor by floor, from bottom to top. The flooring and ceiling elements were installed in place following the column grid lines. Lastly, the preassembled roof truss was erected and fixed to each of the eight frames stabilising the whole structural timber frame in place due to its weight.

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The construction schedule was planned to keep work tasks running simultaneously in the sequence of structural assembly, which lead the project to completion within two years.

Conclusion Tamedia’s novel approach towards design and construction largely complies with the theme Kit-of-parts. The vision of the architect to create a wholly exposed timber structure with in-material connections pushes boundaries in the existing knowledge of contemporary timber construction.

However, it raises the question of fire safety.

Although, according to Andres, a sacrificial layer of 3 cm is added to the required crosssectional dimensions of all elements as fire protection. In case of a fire, this layer burns and the charcoaling protects the internal cross-section from damage.

A 3cm fireproof gypsum insert was added for fire protecting the junctions. Innovation in pre-engineered timber accompanied by the advancements in digital technology has led to manufacturing the building components with very high precision that led to fast and easy on-site assembly. Tamedia displays qualities of wood that makes the building an excellent reference in the field of building technology.

The kit of parts approach can be one avenue to explore the future of sustainable built environments. Tamedia is a classic example, demonstrating sophistication in using timber, natural and one of the most traditional construction materials.

Figure 7. Vertical Section Details. Source: Andres C. Nitsch

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Literature Reference: Best of Detail: Holz Wood, edited by Cristian Schittich. (2nd edition) (2015)

Case Study

BouT presents the symposium on

EXTREME ARCHITECTURE It is well known that society strives and works as a collective in the face of adversity, and history has proven this to us over and over.

The extreme challenge within architecture and technology is how we can change our mindset, build over our own paradigms and shape a new future. An engaging debate on projects that utilise cutting-edge technology and engineering, but equally considered aesthetics, sustainability and human need into these ground -breaking designs and research concepts is needed. How can we -b learn from reactive architecture? How could we implement preventive architecture in our future designs?

Coming Soon

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Circular Façade Systems and Construction Design for Remanufacturing Window Systems Graduation Thesis by Tania Cecilia Cortés Vargas

Introduction The European construction industry is responsible for 35% of generated waste, and even more, a façade system is usually 25-30% of the embodied energy of a building. A circular economy is a response to the “take-make-dispose”, resource-intensive linear economic model. It implies the reduction of waste to a minimum, and a variety of (re)life options for materials and products to maintain their value and embodied energy. In a circular economy, the components of a façade are designed according to different (re)life options, and therefore, there is an alternative to demolition by entering closed loops, as seen in Figure 1.

In addition, remanufacturing has been widely recognized as “an important component of a resourceefficient manufacturing industry” (ERN, 2016). However, for a product to be remanufacturable, certain principles need to be taken into account during the early design phases. Most of the current products are unable to support remanufacturing. A demand for a design strategy for façade systems taking into account product life extension strategies, especially remanufacturing, of the components can contribute to sustainable, product life extension scenarios. This thesis was focused on a circular redesign of the RT 82 HI + window system from Kawneer Nederland.

Figure 1. The “Take-Make-Dispose” model vs a Circular Economy model that is restorative by design.

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“The process of returning a used product to at least OEM original performance specification from the customers’ perspective (Ijomah et al., 2014) by performing “a series of manufacturing steps acting on an end-of-life part or product (Parker, D., Butler, P., 2007), “and giving the resultant product a warranty that is at least equal to that of a newly manufactured equivalent ”(Ijomah et al., 2014) after which the product receives a serial number” (Boorsma, 2016). Thus, it is understood by this last definition that the product is upgraded after its end-ofservice. Indeed, this is the crucial aspect that is found on remanufacturing: the product value increases and the embodied energy is conserved.

Figure 2. Steps involved in the process of remanufacturing.

and meaningful next use. Building components are able to reach their end-of-service without compromising their end-of-life This means that by disassembling the components, the embodied value is retained and the component can have multiple re(life) options.

Graduate

What is Remanufacturing?

Since the Second World War, remanufacturing processes became a common industrial activity, but it was not until the 1980s that it became relevant in the academic field.

Nowadays, the concept of remanufacturing has evolved to the following:

Design for Adaptability (DfA) DfA refers to the concept of designing buildings with the capacity to accommodate effectively the evolving demands of its context, in which its building products are designed to maximize re-usability, to minimize value destruction and thus maximize value through life. Time needs to be considered as a characteristic in design.

Circular Façades: Definition and Design Requirements Through an extensive literature review and interviews with stakeholders, a circular façade is defined as a system that is designed for disassembly and for adaptability, able to circulate hierarchically between the technical cycles of reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling. Is built with sustainable materials that reduce the demand for virgin feedstock input, prevents valuable material losses, and reduces or offsets carbon emissions. The façade system, sub-system, and components should function in the same way or better than a traditional linear façade, as the performance of it is more important than the product itself.

Figure 3 illustrates the different functional, circular, and aesthetic design requirements of a façade established by the author.

DfX The DfX family, where the ‘X’ stands for different concepts, has the aim of guiding designers towards a certain goal. The main design and analysis tools in the presented research were DfD, DfA, and DfRem. Design for Remanufacturing (DfRem) Design for Remanufacturing (DfRem) is a design technique where an item is designed to facilitate the different steps involved in remanufacturing, considering the product strategy, and the detail engineering of the products in terms of the entire remanufacturing process.

Design for Disassembly (DfD) DfD is a concept where products and buildings are carefully designed for material recovery, value retention,

Figure 3. RemPro-matrix based on Sundin (2004) explaining the hierarchy of the product properties according to each remanufacturing step

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72 | Kit-of-Parts Figure 4. Overview of the different design requirements: functional, circular and aesthetics.

Figure 5. Side view of the profile Design Concept 1: Optimization

Design Concepts Three different design concepts were developed. The first one is an optimization of the existing system, and the second and third are hybrid variants that combine aluminum with wood polymer composite profiles (WPC).

important, as it is assembled through closed geometries and connections. In this case, the bottom frame is made of aluminum, similar to the current manufacturing process, but with a mechanical fastened thermal break.

The aluminum frame also covers the upper frame, which is made of WPC (Wood Polymer Composites). After extensive analysis and further research on materials for window systems, it was selected to work with WPC as they are the perfect example of cascading in a circular economy.

Design Concept 1: Optimization The most radical change is the addition of a removable thermal break. This works under the principle of having snap-in connections where the thermal break is slided in.

If the thermal break needs to be removed, it will have to be stressed, and then slid outwards.

In the case of the gaskets, instead of glueing them, they are vulcanized avoiding the use of another material, as stated by the principles of a circular economy.

Additionally, the corner cleats of the window are joined through the use of standard bolts. This allows easy disassembly, while still taking into account the precision required for manufacturing a window. Thus, through small improvements in the connections of the elements, the presented profile shifts towards a more circular product.

Design Concept 2: Hybrid Variant A The system consists of an asymmetrical window profile with three main extruded elements. This simplification is

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Figure 6. Side view of the profile Design Concept 2: Hybrid Variant A

Graduate Figure 7. Axonometric exploded view of the elements of Hybrid Variant A

Figure 9. Side view of the profile for Design Concept 3: Hybrid System Variant B

Design Concept 3: Hybrid Variant B Two extruded WPC frames are snapped to each other, and covered with an aluminum weatherboard. This weatherboard protects the WPC frames to make the material last longer and to enhance its appearance. The aluminum weatherboard element also serves aesthetics adaptability functions, as it can be interchangeable to give a different finishing or form.

Towards Circular Adaptable Scenarios in Window Systems As one of the main design tools was DfA, different circularity scenarios that tackle directly adaptability concepts were developed. One of the most relevant scenarios was the addition of new functions. This is achieved through understanding the window as a fixed frame, with a flexible infill that can be easily exchanged.

Additionally, the window itself can also serve as a modular system with internal divisions (similar to a curtain wall).

Because of the nature of this system, highly based on WPC, there is no thermal break, simplifying dramatically the number of elements and connections, improving the DfD potential.

Figure 8. Axonometric exploded view of the elements of Hybrid Variant B

Figure 8 illustrates the three different possibilities: a BIPV panel (climate components), a green façade panel (biodiversity), and a media façade (active technology).

These three types of panels are just conceptual examples, as actually the possibilities are broader than this. As long as the frames are able to carry the load of the panel and the cross-section of the panel is compatible with the frame, the type of infill can be easily replaced, adding new functions, aesthetic qualities, and with the possibility to overcome change.

Closing the Loop Throughout the entire research, it was highly stressed the importance of closed loops, of having products circling longer throughout the inner circles, and even more, to enable (re) life options that can allow the shift from a linear model to a circular one.

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Figure 10. Change of infill strategies as according to DfA

Figure 11. RT 72 prototype disassembled into 50 parts. The tools used for the disassembly are shown on the right. Image by M. Bilow and author, 2019.

Remanufacturing is an industrial process that by nature, is a truly closed loop. It deliberately recaptures and retains the value-added component of a product, giving it a new (re) life option which should be better than the one before. Remanufacturing, along with the other product life extension strategies, is also able to retain labor and energy from the original manufacturing processes. The ratio of the total energy required to manufacture a new product, against a re manufactured one, is approximately 6:1.

because circularity has become a norm, particularly in the Netherlands. This implies that the building industry will need to shift towards remanufacturing practices, along with other product life extension strategies.

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�

Another important key aspect of remanufacturing is that it allows products to overcome obsolescence. Since the product is constantly upgraded, it does not become obsolete, which is one of the main reasons consumers dispose of many products in a linear economy. Thus remanufacturing does not only enables other (re) life options, but it is the only one from the product life extension strategies that allow an incremental upgrade.

The research showed that there is potential for remanufacturing in the built environment, especially

Window systems are usually manufactured in mass production, with intense market demand, and disposal, forcing a constant consumption. Closing the loop implies keeping the products longer in use and designing them to enable other (re)life options. Design for Remanufacturing is then, a key strategy in a circular built environment.

In a circular built environment, the components of a façade are designed according to different (re) life options, and therefore, there is an alternative to demolition by entering hierarchically different closed loops.

Graduate Figure 12. Closed loops from the proposed designs in a circular built environment.

Tania Cecilia Cortés Vargas Bachelor– Architecture MSc – Building Technology Tania is passionate about energy-efficient construction, designing the building's envelope, and circular economy applications in the built environment. She graduated (Honors) from MSc Building Technology TU Delft in mid 2019, and also completed the Honors Program where she developed research on “Assessment Criteria for Façade Components in a Circular Built Environment: Tools for Transitioning Towards Circular Design”. She also worked as a Teaching Student Assistant in the development of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), “Circular Economy for a Sustainable Built Environment”, for the Chair of Building Product Innovation at TU Delft. Additional to her MSc degree, she holds two Bachelor of Architecture degrees from Politecnico di Milano and TEC de Monterrey (ITESM). She currently works as a Graduate Façade Engineer at Eckersley O’Callaghan in San Francisco.

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Interview with Pieter Stoutjesdijk from TNM

Disrupting the industry

by Javier Montemayor and Prateek Wahi

Pieter Stoutjesdijk, Building Technology graduate, is the founder of TheNewMakers. TNM has a clear objective: to integrate design, engineering and digital-based production, achieving a major quality and time improvement in circular products.

How would you define the kit-of-parts concept yourself?

Apart from the standard definition, other terms can be added to the concept. Design for disassembly is key, as well as standardization: there are some underlying standard rules the elements must follow, so the components of the kit are compatible with each other. So, compatibility within the kit is fundamental. Nowadays the different suppliers come together during construction and assemble their somewhat adaptable elements.

However, in a kit of parts, every individual part fits and is compatible with each other. Additional to prefabrication where the different parts can be assembled on site, a kit of parts assures disassembly and compatibility between the parts that allows a future use.

Figure 1. The Product Development Lab on TU Campus, based on 'LEGO for adults': a building system developed by TheNewMakers

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How have you applied this technique in your own projects?

We have been designing different products and they are completely compatible with each other. The kitchens and furniture objects are compatible with the floors,

So, a kit-of-parts is closely related to circularity in the sense of reusing elements. What do you consider regarding this cycle?

I think circularity has three main topics for something to become indeed circular. First is the process: a company or institution guarantees that the product is taken back, avoiding the linear process. Nowadays, hardly any producer takes responsibility of an object after its initial

lifecycle. Considering a product as a service is way of achieving this. For example, instead of buying a kitchen, you can pay to the company â‚Ź20 a month for the service of having a kitchen. Or it can also be through a payback guarantee. You buy a kitchen but after you use it you get back â‚Ź2000 and the company picks it up again. This is all part of the circular business model.

Interview

walls and rooms we design, even the staircases. They are all part of a kit. But it is not only about compatibility in the physical way, but also in process. We design the strategy to reuse the kitchen, not just the product itself.

We look at how to take it back and how it could be leased.

To facilitate this, we have digital models, informing about the shapes and connections. Eventually, we also produce them in a fully digital way. The production is part of the process, and most of the products we design follow a similar process, with the same materials. So, the same machine and sheet material can produce a wall as well as a kitchen.

The second part is the material. We try to make our products from fully organic material or waste material, 95% made of waste or also bio-based materials. It is obviously very challenging to have something 100% biobased. Normally a board can be 97% bio-based but the binder is not. The third then would be the connections.

Designing for it to be completely re-mountable, which is a huge challenge.

Does designing in such a standardized way necessarily mean that the product will then be monotonous?

Not necessarily. Maybe it seems like that because we are dealing with the first experiments on circularity. It

Figure 2. Tinyhouse: a realized concept for a micro home, completely based on modular compatible blocks containing interior, structure and installations

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Figure 3. Circularity is not just about the product: the whole process around it is involved.

is incredibly challenging to make a circular process, combine it with a circular material and circular connections. So, it is because of these challenges that we leave the shape in the background. We forget about the 3D double-curved façade, but that would be the next step.

You follow an optimization process and digital prototyping… Are you relying on BIM modelling or what process are you based on?

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We are completely used to a BIM methodology, without using BIM. We use a Rhino, Grasshopper and several TNM scripts that connect to an online and various selfprogrammed exports. So, at the end we do have one digital 3D model that contains all design, engineering and construction information. Right now, I cannot think of doing what we do without using such an integral model. Going back in history, I remember an exhibition in MOMA, about the development of housing assistance, called “Home delivery”. It was about experiments during

Then, the interaction with clients is intended can also be digital and not only face-to-face?

We are developing a platform, kind of like an Appstore with building components. We are working together with companies who provide their products in order to generate an extensive library where the clients can see their own projects. The furniture, the audio-visual applications, the installations, and all others should all be compatible with the original kit. We set rules so the external parties can adopt them, assuring compatibility within the system. Some of the elements are easy to apply to the system, like installations, but there are others that demand more adaption.

Talking about compatibility, do you think a kit of parts demands a project that starts from scratch? Or can the technique also be used for a retrofitting project?

I think that is one of the greatest potentials of digital fabrication. Before, a kit of parts needed to be 100% pure, starting bottom up from a flat surface. But currently with digital fabrication we can have mass customization.

We can now have a 90% kit-of-parts that is standard and it’s completely reusable and interchangeable with other assemblies. The other 10% would then be completely custom-made, kind of like an extension of the kit-ofparts for the specific project. They would serve as the connection of the kit and the existing condition. The platform I previously mentioned envisions this 90% of standardized elements and the other 10% customized ones, featuring solutions that are fully adapted to the local context. For example, walls would be standard according to a grid of 600 mm and a customized element of 324.5 mm would be based on local site analysis.

Interview

the last century where architects tried to optimize the process of creating housing. They often dealt with prefabrication and the kit-of-parts system. Most of the experiments failed, but the sketches and basic ideas are there. There is an incredible complexity behind: it takes at least 10 times longer to design a kit-of-parts than a normal element because of the compatibility. The designer must think about all the possible assemblies and other possible future developments.

Figure 4: Online 3D builder to let end users design their own living and working environment

Figure 5: The workshop of TNM in Delft, with fully digital (CNC) production of circular interior- and building components

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Figure 6: Meeting rooms for ABN Amro, consisting of modular building blocks that can easily be reconfigured

This way of solving a project renders a more flexible kitof-parts, not only physically but also programmatically as it can meet the specific functions and wishes from the client. So, if a client is not happy with his kit, then there can be custom-made parts and if they are valuable enough, they can be added to the overall system. This ensures an ever-developing system of kits.

But how do you assure compatibility with the future components you haven’t even developed?

That is also one of the most important challenges. That is the biggest unknown: you don’t know what product will be perfect for the market in years to come. Our systems contemplate multiple versions and we try to maximize compatibility. Grid size, for instance, we know it’s a fixed aspect. But there are things, for example installations, which we don’t know if they are going to be compatible.

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At the end it is not black or white, something is not “compatible or not”, there are some parts which will be and some others not.

So, TheNewMakers’ involvement starts since this conceptual phase until…

Let’s take the circular kitchen as an example. We do the design, we do the prefabrication off-site and then we go onsite for assembly. We are also involved in the maintenance and the taking back of the elements.

We are currently collaborating with another company and together we are staring a TNM in the east of the Netherlands. We have a separate location completely focused on the recovery of the elements. The idea is to have multiple locations around the country and maybe even around Europe. They would be essentially service companies: they would install the products, maintain

But then, how do you assure a good quality when the components have been serving for several years, and it’s time for their demounting?

Components have residual value, which has to do with the value of the element at the end of its life or lease.

For example, in the beginning we had most clads* with coatings that were part of the board. So, if you had a scratch that you cannot remove, then the whole element would go to waste as it cannot be separated. Now we are integrating a system of visible layers that are completely bio-based and removable. We also tell clients only to paint with bio-based paint so we can easily recycle the visible layer. That ensures a completely untouched core.

In that case that is the highest residual value after its initial use. We also apply natural-based layers so when there is a scratch or stain, it can be adjusted locally. We are always looking at ways of how to repair in the future, with the least impact. But it is still a challenge: there are no commercially available glues that are completely remountable that allow separation of layers. TNM and the research group “Building Product Innovation� at TU Delft are applying for funding for this specific topic.

Interview

them and take them back. Then remanufacturing would be conducted and an eventual application in a new context/building. The idea is for this to happen locally, without relying on a central office.

We have been talking about small-scale projects, but can this model be replicated to a larger scale in the future, a skyscraper for example?

The first skyscraper started with this idea of modularity; the facades and load bearing systems clearly show the idea. At TNM, we started with small indoor products like circular kitchens and meeting rooms, but we are now complementing this with outdoor building products

Figure 7: Liffin. Festival pavilions consisting of tens of building blocks that can be assembled in a few hours

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Figure 8: A fully remountable office space (right) inside an old building, based on the kit of parts of TNM

like facades. We are developing eight-story buildings based on similar principles: fully digital produced and fully circular construction. You can extend the building; the client can remove and put whole rooms next to others and assemble them. There would be different

configurations and functions for the entire building. This also represents an interesting business model. We are thinking about life spans of buildings, strategies and an integral perspective to disrupt the construction industry as we know it.

Pieter Stoutjesdijk Pieter Stoutjesdijk graduated cum laude from Building Technology at TU Delft. During his studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) he became fascinated with the potential of digital production techniques for architecture and the architect’s own role. With his company TheNewMakers, he explores new approaches to construction with a kit-of-parts logic. He is also a part-time member of the Architectural Engineering chair at TU Delft.

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Company

WE WILL NOT BUILD OUR OWN FUTURE, WITHOUT HELPING OTHERS TO BUILD THEIRS

FIND OUT HOW:

VICTORY IS YOURS!

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The Journey of Andreas Holterman An interview with TU Delft graduate Andreas Holterman by Enginear.

When you enter the labour market as a starting engineer, it can be challenging to determine what job or which position is best for you. That is why Enginear helps students and starters to discover their best career path.

Andreas Holterman is one of these young engineers that we’ve helped. He completed his master’s degree in Building Technology at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at TU Delft. After finishing, he joined Count & Cooper via Enginear in February 2019. Count & Cooper is a consultancy agency with a focus on connecting people and data. They provide manpower, expertise, technology and information as a tool to better manage and predict project outcomes and to enhance collaboration.

How did you find this job?

I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do after I finished my studies. Just before graduating, I first travelled through South America for a while, where I did some voluntary work. I can really recommend it. At no point in your life, you will have as much time on your hands as at that moment.

On my return and during my orientation, I met Enginear through Debut, an event at the TU Delft. Some extra help during my search couldn’t hurt. Looking back, it was a smart decision, because Enginear had a solid network and was in contact with some nice companies I had never heard of or would have thought of otherwise. Take Count & Cooper for example. It seems like a strange match at first.

I am currently working in the field of geo-information. My masters, in Building Technology, had little to do with this.

Based on my master, there were companies in Enginear’s network that would have been the more logical choice.

But instead of giving me the typical advice, they showed me some nice out-of-the-box options, informed me on what each of the companies had to offer me and came up

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with a surprising idea based on my personality and drive.

Count & Cooper. An excellent idea, I am really enjoying myself here and would have never ended up here if it wasn’t for Enginear.

And how are you doing now?

Very well, actually. I still had to learn a lot when I just started. But Count & Cooper is a great employer that invests a lot of time and energy in their employees.

They’ve set up an intense training programme in which they tutor you to be a project analyst and where you gain more knowledge in various aspects of the job through training. You get loads of responsibility, but at the same time, the necessary space to learn and grow. I've been here for almost 10 months now, and I am still learning something new every day.

Company What is it that you are doing here?

Within Count & Cooper, I manage and operate the GIS (Geographic Information System). Currently working on an exciting project where I collect and map all the information on the A9 Badhoevedorp - Holendrecht. We are in the process of widening 11 kilometres of motorway and renewing the existing systems on this route to make them future proof. Also, we are constructing canopies with green areas and are connecting the last part of the Holendrecht-to-Almere-interchange to the road network.

More specifically, this means that I created a digital and interactive map in which I collect all information linked to this project. Everyone who is connected to this project can extract data from the system by simply logging in. For example, if you want to construct a canopy on the A9, it is essential to know what standards the foundation must meet. By measuring and registering seasonal influences you can make a better estimate of what to expect and what to consider.

By taking numerous measurements, we obtain more certainty and thereby make better decisions. All these measurements are stored in the GIS. You will also find an overview in the system of all stakeholders including their needs and demands. Pretty neat. Currently, I am

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the only person here at Count & Cooper that works with this system. As I mentioned, I have no background in geo-information, but I am learning a lot now by being in constant contact with other people who do.

By continuing to innovate our software, we are building an effective tool that increases the predictability of what we do.

And what does your future look like at Count & Cooper?

Would you like to give some advice to other starters?

I am part of our Digital Project Management team. We are involved in various digital innovations and their integration into other projects. We work with Relatics, ArcGIS, Synchro, Revit, Civil3D, Infraworks and Unity, among others, but we don’t want to be limited by the functionalities of these programmes. If necessary, we create our own solutions. I find that very cool and maybe even prefer it over the management side of the story.

Sure. Take a good look around at your options. A company like Enginear can help a lot in that area. Based on what is important to you, they give you advice and a very clear scope. I immediately landed a great job. It’s important to take into consideration what your strengths are and what makes you happy. Look around, learn and invest in yourself. Oh, and enjoy your leisure time while studying. A luxury that I may not have appreciated enough at the time.

Andreas studied in the Building Technology master's programme at the Faculty of Architecture in TU Delft. During his studies he specialised in the aspects of computational and climate design. He has been working at Count&Cooper since February 2019 as Project analyst-Digital Project Management.

Enginear is one of Praktijkvereniging BouT's sponsers. Interested in the company ?

Check out the website. www.enginear.nl

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It’s in your hands.

Made in Brakel, Germany: Stylish door and window handles in Aluminium, Stainless Steel, Brass and Bronze. www.fsb.de

ArchiPrix 2020 Archiprix celebrates the best graduation projects in the field of architecture and built environment, where every year the best graduation projects are selected and exhibited at the BK EXPO. The final Dutch Archiprix, which is a leading annual competition for upcoming design talent, is preceded with a preselection round selecting 45 best projects, followed by nine best projects to compete at national level. It was exciting to see 6 of our BT alumni to get featured in the pre-selection round.

The projects displayed were very informative and pushed the boundaries in the realm of building technology.

The ideas ranged from using robotics for architecture to hybridising vernacular construction systems using modern computational tools. Here we include some snippets from their research along with their inspiration behind the projects.

Rammed Regolith, A low energy material for building on Mars.

Archi-Prix

Architecture for Mars

By Agata Mintus.

For my master thesis, I decided to focus on space architecture as it is a growing research topic, which soon will become a real branch of building industry requiring broad knowledge basis. Nowadays, it is experimental research, which explores modern technologies and innovation. However, I decided to study low-tech and low-energy alternatives focusing more on sustainability, as opposed to a common approach.

The project required an interdisciplinary approach with the focus on material, structural design and sustainability. The experimental part - production process and fabrication, had to be performed with support from material science and building material engineering experts (Fred Veer, Oguzhan Copuroglu). The sustainability on Mars had to be analysed widely, studying conditions on Mars, tools and methods for sustainable design (David Peck).

The Martian conditions and mission requirements necessitate a challenging approach for future habitats construction. Due to limitation of a rocket payload, there is a need for using in-situ resources, like regolith, as a building material. To minimise the transportation and dependence from Earth’s supplies, the energy must be tackled with local, renewable resources or the demand needs to be minimized.

Therefore, the efficient and sustainable approach for building with regolith rammed blocks, could be the lowenergy and easy alternative solution for building on Mars.

To achieve energy demand optimisation in the production process, different compositions of the regolith substitutes were created and analysed. The compositions were chosen to ease either compression process or thermal treatment of the regolith blocks. These blocks have been tested in compression until failure and examined under a microscope to determine material properties.

�

The research has shown that rammed regolith can be low energy, sustainable building material for Mars, that can provide radiation resistance while having enough structural strength to build vaults.

Material analysis over rammed regolith.

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Reed Robotics Discrete Digital Assembly of Biodegradable Reed Structures

By Hayley E. Bouza

I am a British American architect currently living in Switzerland. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in the United States and continued to work for several years before deciding to pursue my Master’s studies at TU Delft. I am very interested in the technical execution of projects, mainly working with materials and fabrication, which is why I decided on the Building Technology Master programme.

I wanted to develop my knowledge of robotic fabrication for my final thesis, which is why I chose Serdar Aşut from Design Informatics as my main mentor. We share a preference toward working with natural materials and initially began the project with the idea of robotically weaving plant fibres.

Common Reed (Phragmites Australis) is an abundantly available, sustainable construction material that can be found throughout the world, usually in the form of thatch roofing. Reed is a unique material, capable of performing as structure, insulation, and cladding. My second mentor, Marcel Bilow, guided me in the development of a system in the form of discrete components that can be configured to create a variety of structures. The entire production process was considered, from harvesting reed to the final biodegradation of the structures. By implementing a digital production chain, labour costs are reduced, and the process is both local and circular.

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Wood Maquette

Design and fabrication of non-standard, structural concrete columns, using 3D printed thin-shell formwork.

Archi-Prix

Eggshell

By Joris Burger

Joris Burger is a researcher and architectural engineer from the Netherlands. He studied Architecture and Building Technology in Delft, Stockholm and Tokyo after which he graduated from TU Delft. Currently, he is a PhD Researcher at Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich, where he is exploring the possibilities of robotically fabricated thin-shell formwork for concrete structures.

The thesis topic of designing and fabricating a nonstandard, structural concrete column with 3D printed formwork came as a result of a research internship done at the ETH Zurich. The mentors, Christian Louter and Serdar Asut were then found because of their interest in the project and willingness to provide mentoring from a distance, as the research was done in Zurich, Switzerland.

It was then shipped to site in Esslingen, Switzerland and installed together with the robotically fabricated timber reciprocal frame roof, which was subject of another research. The completed pavilion shows the possibilities of digital fabrication to already be successfully implemented in the built environment.

For the master thesis, a full-scale prototype of a concrete column was made using 3D printed formwork. The main challenges that were addressed were: i) the integration of reinforcement, ii) large scale 3D printing, iii) addressing the concrete hydrostatic pressure, iv) temperature development of the casted concrete and connection details.

Through an iterative process of design and fabrication research, these challenges were addressed in several prototypes. Finally, a 1.8m tall reinforced column was made to demonstrate the difficulties addressed. After the master thesis concluded several more full-scale prototypes were made, after which the final 2.1m tall column was finished in August 2019.

Aussenansicht Future Tree Credits: Basler & Hofmann AG, Stefan Kubli

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Hybrid Timber Construction

Investigation in a hybrid building construction technique, that could be encoded in a digital tool, by maximizing the use of local building materials such as natural timber, in seismic zone of Meghalaya, India

By Krittika Agarwal

Being born in the eastern end of the Himalayan seismic belt, the personal experiences through the seismic events have been the driving force of an attempt to research on reviving the habitats of the region. I intend to deeply understand the practical complexities of such urban environments and look for opportunities to implement the ideas of a safe and sustainable world. I believe that the discourse on architecture transcends beyond the scope of any single subject and a multimedia collaborative approach with other professions is essential to build a better living environment.

As essential strive for shelter continues to grow in the developing world, the habitants are compelled to adapt to the quick and standard solutions offered by their contemporary ‘concrete jungles’. Sadly, the Indian city-Shillong, is not different.

Also, as the global sustainability crisis is compelling us to rethink the human habitation systems; the revival of the indigenous timber construction sets silver lining for the region.

Upon retrofitting and reimagining, this historical construction technology has been transformed into a 6 storey tall timber structure, using locally available natural timber, which slips into the existing requirements of present-day habitants of urban Shillong. The scientific solution has been tailored to accommodate the geographical seismic problem and the practicalities of current regional technological advancements. Further, the design logic of the proposed technology has been encoded in a digital tool which could be used by the local designers for immediate implementation at an early design phase. The final output edges to go as local and ecological as possible.

Mentors: Design Informatics: Dr Michela Turrin Materials and Structures: Dr Fred A Veer

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Anatomy of hybrid timber construction technology

Archi-Prix

Desigrated Desiccant Integrated Façade System

By Natchai Suwannapruk

After four years of working as a licensed architect in Bangkok, I decided to step out of my comfort zone to broaden my perspective of the built environment, especially in the realm of technicality and sustainability.

Therefore, I’ve chosen to pursue my Master degree in the Building Technology Track at TU Delft. Along with the big question which is left unanswered, the imminent threats of global warming have profoundly influenced my choice to pursue my thesis with the COOLFacade Studio. Under the mentorship of Dr.Alejandro Prieto and Christien Jansen, I’ve worked on my thesis – ‘Desigrated’.

‘Desigrated’ aims to integrate heat prevention strategies with low-ex cooling technologies, namely the desiccant and m-cycle evaporative cooling technology, in the form of a façade system for high rise office buildings. The project targets to provide an alternative cooling solution for a hot and humid climate context of Bangkok. To achieve its goals, the project’s design approach is branched into two aspects: the vernacular approach and the constraints of the system. The results from experiments by various researchers and literature are used as assumptions

in developing the system. Being one of the prominent dehumidification technologies, the Composite Silica Gel Heat Exchanger (CCHE) will be implemented as a primary part of the façade system. While the M-cycle technology would also be implemented as a secondary cooling technique to cool down the supply air. The evaluation shows a promising result with up to 36% energy consumption reduction in comparison to the conventional cooling system, presenting itself as a transitioning tool to replace refrigerant cooling.

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

The outdoor air is taken in through the air inlet at the base of the frame

It is then being dehumidified by the series of CCHEs before being cooled down by the M-Cycle cooling system and sent to the air supply unit.

The water pipe shaft is located at the adjacent window panel, allowing cold water to be supply from the cooling tower. While the hot water shaft runs along the base of the system.

The air supply unit rests on top of the adjacent window next to the cooling unit, allowing the conditioned air to be supply from the ceiling level.

M-Cycle + Supply Air Channel

Dehumidification Channel

M-Cycle System

Water Pipe Shaft

To Supply Air Channel

750

Supply Air Channel

To Supply Air Channel

635

Supply Air Inlet

750

See Detail A

750

See Detail C Double Glazing Unit Return Air Channel

Water Supply Shaft

2010

2450

CCHE PVT System

2450

2450

Double Glazing Unit

410

Mix Air Chamber

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See Detail D

Hot Water Supply Shaft

Inlet Air Channel See Detail B

Section A Section B

Schematic Desigrated System M-Cycle Schematic Diagram

Water Pipe Schematic 1

2

Dry Channel

30% Working Air 1

Wet Channel

2

2 2.39

3

4

1

2

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Section B M-Cycle : Working Air Scheme

3.20

Exhaust Air

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3

2.39

2.39

3

5

Section A M-Cycle : Supply Air Scheme

2

5

4 1 Air from CCHE

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2.39

2 5

3

4

1

2.39

4

1 2.39

3

2.39

2.39

70% Supply Air

5

5

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Cold Water Pipe Diagram

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Hot Water Pipe Diagram

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The AM Envelope

A mono-material façade element with complex geometries for structural and thermal performance produced by additive manufacturing.

By Valeria Piccioni

I wanted to bring together my interest in structural design, façade engineering and building physics. I soon realised that a computational design approach could be a way to deal with this complexity and I was inspired by on-going research from the Chair of Design Informatics in the field of Additive Manufacturing. That’s why in my graduation project I explored the possibilities offered by the use of digital design tools coupled with AM techniques for application in architectural components.

The choice of a thesis topic is never easy, and my experience was no exception. During my BT master, I tried to explore different fields, without narrowing down to one particular aspect of the building technologist’s expertise.

workflow. The final results highlight how, by manipulating porosity and material distribution, it is possible to design stiff, insulating envelope components which are suitable for manufacturing with Fused Deposition Modelling using polymers.

The facade is one of the most complex parts of a building as its role of separating the outside from the inside requires different performances to be tackled and new regulations are setting even more stringent requirements in terms of environmental impact. Compared to traditional techniques, AM stands out for the possibility of fabricating complex geometries embedding multiple functions without having to rely on the assembly of different layers and components, making efficient use of a material system.

The objective of my thesis was the design of a 3D-printed façade element which embeds structural stiffness and thermal insulation thanks to a spatiallyvarying cellular geometry. For the design, I used digital fabrication, physical testing and software simulations to retrieve design guidelines and validate the behaviour of different design options. Performance-driven design, performance assessment and geometry generation for 3D printing were brought together in a fully parametric

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Rc-value 4.5 m2K/W

Weight 101 kg

Deflection 3 mm

The AM envelope: a multifunctional façade element

BouT

BouT StudyTrip 2019: Zurich

by Elisa Vintimilla and Javier Montemayor

Starting with ETH Zurich's innovative labs, the complexity of Shigeru Ban's Tamedia Project, and the grandeur of Vitra's Campus in Bassel, this year's study trip was filled with interesting excursions.

Robotic Fabrication Laboratory at ETH Zurich

BouT organized its annual study trip to Zurich, Switzerland from the 13th to 17th of November 2019.

Twenty-four students from all over the world joined the excursion, as well as two faculty members. Objectively speaking, the goal was clear: to expose the students with a rich experience abroad, giving them new inspiration and knowledge on the latest trends in the Architecture and Building Technology fields.

The trip was not only about the technical knowledge we could get. It was about realizing the application of our own work, how it could actually look like in real life.

Experiencing this with other students and friends with similar perspectives, allowed everyone to challenge their own beliefs and points of view. The trip was also a good opportunity to get to know the rest of the class, tightening the connection between students from the first and second years. The following is a brief description of some of the sites visited during the trip.

Study Group from BT visiting Zurich

ETH Zurich ETH, Honggerberg Campus, is located in the outskirts of the city of Zurich. The campus translates precisely the character of collaboration and integration between multiple disciplines. The visit mainly covered the ITA

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In order: Calatrava's faculty Library, Zaha Hadid's Vitra Fire Station and Shigeru Ban's Tamedia Office Building

Institute of Technology in Architecture under the department of Architecture. The main lab, the Robotic Fabrication Laboratory, is located in the ground and first floor. It is a two-story high lab with four robotic arms suspended from the ceiling, and several other equipment serving creation and production. The building that houses ITA was built 7 years ago in consultation with the professors in each chair resulting into an open assemblage of spaces for different chairs in this department.

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Library of Law University The University of Law library in Zurich was built in 1909 and it was later renovated by Santiago Calatrava. With the exterior mostly left untouched, the interior courtyard was converted into an atrium with a central large glass dome and a mechanical collapsible solar sun shade to regulate the light and heat inside the library. The steel columns and beams form shelves that support the floor plates and allows the new structure to float over the

BouT Vitra Campus

existing building. The library is conceived as six oval rings, hung as an independent structure with a regular courtyard.

Tamedia Office Building A jewel in the middle of the city was Shigeru Ban’s Tamedia Office Building. The façade doesn’t reveal a thing, unless you peak and the lights inside are turned on.

It is there, inside, where the wooden structure carefully designed by the architect is visible. The protagonist is the wooden elements inside, creating perfectly fitting frames that follow a kit-of-parts logic.

Vitra Campus Vitra Campus is an impressive educational place where several famous architects showcase their own design expressions and serve as the perfect vehicle for the product research and production Vitra is known for. It is

an ensemble of buildings, unique in every way, that have made the production site a true magnet for architecture connoisseurs and design enthusiasts. Every detail perfectly illustrates the design idea of the architecture and makes every visitor deeply overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Vitra Campus was one of the main highlights of the whole tour, a true architectural exhibition in life scale, deeply overwhelmed by the atmosphere created by the designer.

Concluding, it was an exhausting trip. However, in comparison to the experiences we got from the trip , it was all worth it. The excursions, the tours, the gatherings, they were all very inspiring and valuable for future references. Zurich met all of our expectations, even if we didn’t have any. We hope the next trip is as good as this one.

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Events

Past & Upcoming

24.10.2019 Lunch Lecture by ABT: the company presented their thoughts and projects on energy transition, sustainability, and circular construction.

01.2020 Lunch Lecture by Aldowa: the company will present themselve and their projects.

02.2020 Company visit to Aldowa: the company will give a tour of their company in Rotterdam.

01.11.2019 Jelmer Drinks: the company Jelmer presented themselves to BT students with a round of drinks and pizza at Bouwpub.

14.11.2019 - 18.11.2019 BouT 2019 Study Trip: Zurich (Switzerland)

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02.2020 Kick Off of Semester with BouT: semester kick off drinks with BouT.

upcoming

26.02.2020 BouT Events committee is organizing a symposium on Extreme Architectural challenges.

An opportuniy to get to meet your fellow master students at BK over drinks and fun activities

If you are interested in organising this party contact BouT oďŹƒce.

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4th quarter 2019