Multi-Storey Wood Building System

COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN, ENGINEERING AND DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITALLY FABRICATED MULTI-STOREY WOOD BUILDING SYSTEM

Current wood building systems are greatly dependent on rigid grids as an ordering system, resulting in severe design limitations for open-plan, flexible spaces and bespoke architectural solutions. The main aim of this project is to address these architectural limitations through the development of a novel, genuinely digital wood building system that will enable the adoption of prefabricated timber construction in additional building typologies. This will integrate computational design, engineering and building physics in close relationship with the respective fabrication strategies. The building system includes the design and development of structural components as well as building services, insulation and cladding. Key characteristics of the building systems we aim to achieve are grid independence, biaxial spans and pointwise concentrated supports. This presents challenges for the structure, building physics and building services. Through the Co-Design of these aspects, together with the development of new joint systems, this research project will integrate and run hand in hand with novel concepts of cyber-physical on- and off-site production (Research Project RP 4-1). In addition, it will consider the development of bio-based material systems (Research Project RP 6-1), adjustments and requirements of technical standards and legal frameworks (Reseach Project RP 7-1), and the consideration of novel design opportunities for IntCDC-based multi-storey timber buildings (Research Project RP 10-1).

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Prof. Achim Menges
Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Knippers
Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design(ITKE), University of Stuttgart
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Philip Leistner
Institute for Acoustics and Building Physics (IABP), University of Stuttgart
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Garrecht with Dr. Simon Aicher
Materials Testing Institute (MPA), University of Stuttgart

RESEARCHERS

Dr.-Ing. Tobias Schwinn (ICD)
Nikolas Früh (ITKE)
Anna Krtschil (ITKE)
Theresa Müller (IABP)
Luis Orozco (ICD)
Holger Röseler (IABP)
Cristóbal Tapia Camú (MPA)
Hans Jakob Wagner (ICD)