A Method for the Realization of Complex Concrete Gridshell Structures in Pre-Cast Concrete (2012)
article⁄A Method for the Realization of Complex Concrete Gridshell Structures in Pre-Cast Concrete (2012)
abstract⁄This paper describes a method for the design and fabrication of complex funicular structures fromdiscrete precast concrete elements. The research proposes that through the integration of digitalformfinding techniques, computational filetofabrication workflows, and innovative sustainableconcrete casting techniques, complex funicular structures can be constructed using prefabricatedelements in a practical, affordable, and materially efficient manner.A recent case study is examined, in which the methodology has been used to construct a pavilion.Customwritten dynamic relaxation software was used to define the overall form and successivealgorithms it then defined each component’s unique geometry, unrolled into flat shapes, andnested all parts into cutfiles. PETG plastic sheets were twodimensionally laser cut and folded toproduce the unique casting molds. The case study was carried out in collaboration between theAarhus School of Architecture and the University of Technology, Sydney UTS. Basic research incasting techniques defined the framework for the design process, and a customwritten dynamicrelaxation software application became the primary formgenerating tool in the design process ofa constructed pavilion. Fabrication and construction constraints were embedded within the designof both the overall structure and its components. Finite element analysis FEA was completed inorder to verify the formfinding results, to ensure structural stability, and to direct adjustments ofthe structure during the design process.The constructed pavilion case study, constructed in a very short time, for low cost and with relativelyunskilled labor, demonstrates that the integration of algorithmic formfinding techniques, CNCfabrication workflows, and the use of innovative PETG foldedmold techniques enables thepractical realization of freeform funicular structures in precast concrete.
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| Year |
2012 |
| Authors |
Larsen, Niels Martin; Pedersen, Ole Egholm; Pigram, David. |
| Issue |
ACADIA 12: Synthetic Digital Ecologies |
| Pages |
209-216 |
| Library link |
N/A |
| Entry filename |
method-realization-complex-concrete-gridshell-structures |
