Maison Fibre

Abstract

This research demonstrates the development of a hybrid FRP-timber wall and slab system for multi-story structures. Bespoke computational tools and robotic fabrication processes allow for adaptive placement of material according to specifi c local requirements of the structure thus representing a resource-effi cient alternative to established modes of construction. This constitutes a departure from pre-digital, material-intensive building methods based on isotropic materials towards genuinely digital building systems using lightweight, hybrid composite elements. Design and fabrication methods build upon previous research on lightweight fi ber structures conducted at the University of Stuttgart and expand it towards inhabitable, multi-story building systems. Interdisciplinary design collaboration based on reciprocal computational feedback allows for the concurrent consideration of architectural, structural, fabrication, and material constraints. The robotic coreless fi lament winding process only uses minimal, modular formwork and allows for the effi cient production of morphologically differentiated building components. The research results were demonstrated through Maison Fibre, developed for the 17th Architecture Biennale in Venice. Situated at the Venice Arsenale, the installation is composed of thirty plate-like elements and depicts a modular, further-extensible scheme. While this fi rst implementation of a hybrid multi-story building system relies on established glass and carbon fi ber composites, the methods can be extended towards a wider range of materials ranging from ultra-high-performance mineral fi ber systems to renewable natural fi bers.

Fabricate 2024

“…Using this technique, several experimental research examples have been constructed, each investigating specific aspects of the process (Reichert et al, 2014;Dörstelmann et al, 2014;Solly et al, 2019). This foundational research served as a base for the development of large-scale digital fibrous building systems in the recent past (Dambrosio et al, 2019;Dambrosio et al, 2021). However, all these projects relied on the use of oil-based carbon fibres in combination with glass fibres, making their integration in a circular economy difficult.…”