Through a research based elective our class explored the potential for future means and methods of construction. The focus was dependent on the use of a robotic arm. The concept was akin to 3D printing but at the scale of a building. However there were some stipulations that increased the complexity of this problem such as not being able to make flat surfaces which forced apertures to use calculated geometry and avoid extreme overhangs.

The material used was a spray foam insulation which met the current New York standards for construction. Following the layering method of additive printing, the robotic arm would generate the proposed form. Unlike standard printing our forms were not meant to be the visible product, nor were they the hidden structure but rather existed somewhere in between. An internal lattice system subdivided the inside of the “form-work” and created breaks in the concrete that filled the remaining voids. The system could then be finished with any number of systems.

Fall 2018

Critic: Robert Cervellione

Partners: Haya Alnibari, Robert Casas

With a typical 3D printer infill material is used to create flat surfaces. However this was not possible with the robotic arm and foam material. This led to the creation of a module based on calculated angles and overhangs. This module was then manipulated through asymmetry or other deformations to create a variety of forms ultimately creating an exoskeleton for either an existing or new building as shown above.