Robots//Reuse

REUSE OF DISCARDED BUILDING MATERIALS IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION USING COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN AND DIGITAL FABRICATION

The project will explore novel strategies for recovery and reuse of construction materials by coupling practice-based experience in design and construction with latest research in computational design and robotic fabrication. The aim is to create a synergy between material, technology and aesthetics that can contribute to automating the currently mostly manual processes of reuse and refurbishment. Technologies for recovery, separation and systematization of construction waste are well advanced. However, reclaimed materials have so far only been incorporated to a limited extent into building design and construction. Despite the growing number of projects and advances in utilizing scanning for assembly and processing of construction debris, there is still a need for fundamental research on how to integrate both materials and technology with aesthetic concerns in architectural design. Within this research, computational design methods and robotic fabrication workflows for reuse of materials will be developed. This project will consider how to make current processes not only more cost- and time effective, but also how to create a workflow that makes it attractive to users, investors, and architects to build with reclaimed materials. The project will result in a compendium of existing materials for reuse in architecture together with the associated assembly and processing methods, several case studies with workflows for design and construction, and a built prototype.

The project is a collaboration between David Chipperfield Architects Berlin and Institute for Computational Design and Construction.

PPRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Prof. Achim Menges
Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart

RESEARCHER

Hana Svatoš-Ražnjević (ICD)

PARTNERS
David Chipperfield Architects Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH (DCAB): Maria Wyller, Eva Schad.

FUNDING
BBSR - Bundesinstitut für Bau- Stadt- und Raumforschung im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung. Innovationsprogramm Zukunft Bau