Reconfigurable molds and a fabrication-aware design tool for manufacturing concrete grid structures

Abstract

The design and manufacturing of concrete elements need to be reconsidered in light of current trends in architectural geometry. Today, there is a movement toward greater customization and adaptability of concrete elements using “reconfigurable formworks” and “additive manufacturing.” Our study approached the issue of fabricating non-standardized concrete elements from the perspective of a “reconfigurable fabrication platform.” Specifically, we developed a method of fabricating geometrically diverse concrete joints by combining flexible pressure-enduring tubes with a rigid mechanism, resulting in an adaptive concrete-casting machine. This platform, which we named “Flexi-node,” can be used in conjunction with a relevant fabrication-aware digital design tool. Users can computationally design and fabricate a great variety of concrete joints using just one mold, with a minimum of material waste and with no distortion from hydrostatic pressure as would typically occur in a fully flexible formwork.