climate

futures


On view at the Liberty Research Annex
October 17, 2024 - January 1, 2025


about
projects
  1. 22/26 Midwest
  2. Ambiguous Territory
  3. Annotation and Insulation
  4. Asutsuare Rebound
  5. Atlas of the Trans-Apocalypse
  6. Becoming Biomass
  7. Bespoke Ultra-Thin Layered 3D-printed Reusable Wood-Bio-Based Formwork for Casting Complex Concrete Geometries
  8. Branch Wall: Geometrically Informed Non-Planar Toolpath and Material Deposition
  9. Deploy 2.0
  10. Detroit Cultural Center
  11. Elephant in the Room, and Other Fables
  12. Fabric-Formed Unstabilized Poured Earth
  13. Frie(s/d)
  14. Functionally Graded Additive Manufacturing
  15. Guidance for Designing and Implementing Constitutionally Valid Local Plans and Regulations to Protect Landmarked Trees, Woodlands, and Tree Canopy in Michigan
  16. Heat and Housing: Co-producing Passive Cooling Strategies and Promoting Health in Informal and Precarious Settlements
  17. Hygroscopic Envelope: Building Enclosures for Climate Adaptation
  18. In My Backyard
  19. In-Svalbard: Cold Coast Atlas
  20. Land, Foodways, and Kinship: The Case of Palestinian Villages
  21. Light Forms
  22. MiCE Architecture: Design Strategies to Mitigate Michigan Coastal Erosion
  23. Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
  24. Myco-Composite Furniture
  25. Post Rock Post-Industrial Plastic Facade
  26. re:FE Reimagining Mining Waste from a Wounded Region
  27. Shell Wall: Coupling Non-Planar Robotic 3D Concrete Printing and Topology Optimization
  28. Solar Technology Integration on Building Facades
  29. The Canopy
  30. The Lifespan Project
  31. Unfolding Forms of Conveyance
  32. Urban Climate Law Series
  33. Vertical Wetlands





Bespoke Ultra-Thin Layered 3D-printed Reusable Wood-Bio-Based Formwork for Casting Complex Concrete Geometries Mohsen Vatandoost, Peter Von Buelow,  Wes Mcgee

2024

07

Computational design has enabled complex geometries; however, construction remains challenged by inefficiencies and high costs. This study aims to develop a bespoke ultra-thin layered 3D-printed reusable formwork for casting complex concrete geometries by utilizing additive manufacturing, 3D-printing techniques, and hollow-core sections to achieve a sustainable, zero-waste, low-carbon fabrication method.

The ultra-thin layered formwork wall is stiffened using truss-like sections to withstand the hydrostatic pressure of wet concrete on an architectural scale, while hollow-core sections significantly reduce the amount of concrete required. To demonstrate this method, a lightweight, thin concrete arch was fabricated. The arch is tessellated into 11 uniquely curved, tapered, and hollow-cored parts, which makes it a complex geometry when fabricated with traditional methods. These components were 3D-printed using a robotic arm; concrete was cast within them, and they were then assembled. The formwork can be ground, recycled, and reused. Various thermoplastics, including carbon fiber reinforced (PETG) and bio-based wood composites, were employed to enhance sustainability.

The use of 3D printing technology for creating formwork for concrete has the potential to provide a solution to climate change and carbon footprint issues. It enhances geometric flexibility, leading to construction methods that use materials more efficiently and reduce waste, which could revolutionize the construction sector.