Passive Jamming via 4D Printing for Circular Architecture

PASSIVE JAMMING VIA 4D PRINTING FOR CIRCULAR BUILDING ELEMENTS

This research project investigates how material programmed dynamic composite building elements can enable genuinely circular building systems - intrinsically modular architectural components that can be assembled, adapted, disassembled, and reassembled without waste and with minimal energy use. It develops passive jamming-based building elements by leveraging 4D printing of bio-based materials to establish a foundation for next-generation building systems that are energy-autonomous, reconfigurable, and reusable. It aims to integrate material responsiveness with mechanical robustness and adaptation by addressing three key research challenges, including achieving jamming without external power sources, ensuring the structural robustness of 4D-printed bio-materials, and enabling the circularity of building components at the end of their service life. By harnessing the innate properties of bio-based materials, and combining material-informed computational design with digital fabrication via 4D printing, the project embodies a Machine-Material Co-Agency approach, that will establish co-design methods for creating zero-waste building systems that enable the circular reuse of elements.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Prof. Achim Menges
Spokesperson
Institute of Computational Design and Construction (ICD)
Cluster of Excellence IntCDC

PARTICIPATING RESEARCHERS

Dr.-Ing. Buse Aktaş
Participating Researcher
Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS)
Cluster of Excellence IntCDC

RESEARCHERS

M.Sc. Peimin Yu
Doctoral Researcher
Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS)
Cluster of Excellence IntCDC

Dr. Yerong Huang
Postdoctoral Researcher
Institute of Computational Design and Construction (ICD)
Cluster of Excellence IntCDC

M.Arch., B.F.A. Sujie Park
Doctoral Researcher
Institute of Computational Design and Construction (ICD)
Cluster of Excellence IntCDC