Robots//Reuse

Associated Project 28 (AP 28)

Associated Project 28 – 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 the recovery and reuse of construction materials by combining practical experience in design and construction with the latest research in computational design and robotic fabrication. The aim is to create a synergy between material, technology and aesthetics that can contribute to the automation of the currently mostly manual processes of reuse and refurbishment. Technologies for the recovery, separation and systematisation 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 utilising 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.

This research will develop computational design methods and robotic fabrication workflows for reuse of materials. The project will consider how to make current processes not only more cost and time effective, but also how to create a workflow that makes building with reclaimed materials attractive to users, investors and architects. 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 of design and construction workflows, and a built prototype.

The project is a collaboration between David Chipperfield Architects Berlin and the 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
Maria Wyller, Eva Schad, David Chipperfield Architects Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH (DCAB)

FUNDING
Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung, Innovationsprogramm Zukunft Bau

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

  1. 2024

    1. Svatoš-Ražnjević, H., Wyller, M., Schad, E., & Menges, A. (2024). Jammed Rubble: A building system concept for granular architecture from mixed mineral waste. In O. Kontovourkis, M. C. Phocas, & G. Wurzer (Eds.), Proceedings of the 42nd Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe. Data-Driven Intelligence. (Vol. 2, pp. 587–596). eCAADe, University of Cyprus, Department of Architecture. http://dblp.uni-trier.de/db/conf/cdc/cdc2014.html#HartmanT14
    2. Wyller, M., Svatoš-Ražnjević, H., Schad, E., & Menges, A. (2024). A Taxonomy of Techniques and Tools for Rubble: Design and Fabrication Concepts for (Re)use of Mixed Mineral Construction and Demolition Waste. In P. Eversmann, C. Gengnagel, J. Lienhard, M. Ramsgaard Thomsen, & J. Wurm (Eds.), Scalable Disruptors. DMS 2024 (Proceedings of the Design Modelling Symposium 2024) (pp. 3–14). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68275-9_1
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