Modularity in Flex: Controlled Deformation and Versatility of Elastic Formworks
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning University of Michigan
Concrete Labor_Circularity: Student Work Master of Architecture Thesis Studio
Professors:
Tsz Yan Ng & Wes McGee
Student Work:
Michael DiBenedetto (M. Arch ‘24) , Gabriel Maisonet (M. Arch ‘24)
Student Work is the intellectual property of the authors and contributors to this thesis project and is part of ongoing research at Taubman College’s FABLab. Please contact Michael DiBenedetto, Gabriel Maisonet, Tsz Yan Ng, Wes McGee, or Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning to learn more about this project research.
Weareinterestedindevelopingarainscreenfacade system made up of modular precast wall components. We are working to refine a casting method that employs reusable and reconfigurable formworks that can produce various surface geometries out of a single mold. Modularity in Flex aims to reduce the waste and expenses seen in conventionalprecastpanelcustomization.
PRECEDENT STUDIES
Alan Chandler (2015) Fabric formwork –prototype to typology, The Journal of Architecture, 20:3, 420-429, DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1080/13602365.2015.10 42904
“P_Wall (2013)” - fiber reinforced thin-shell precast concrete panels mounted on steel frame - Andrew Kudless (Matsys) and Concreteworks, 2013. Located in FRAC Centre, Orleans, France. Fabricated by Concreteworks, Oakland, California.
“Responsive Gravity Casting”glass-fiber reinforced concrete ceiling tiles - Alicia Morris and Julia Hunt; Concrete Labor_Circularity, Fall 2018 with professor Tsz Yan Ng at Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
West, M. (2016). “The Fabric Formwork Book: Methods for Building New Architectural and Structural Forms in Concrete” (1st ed.). Routledge. pp. 183
Flexible Formwork Studies
Woven Polyethylene GeoTex Fabric
Membrane Material Properties
GeoTextile
● Woven Polypropylene fabric
● High permeability (perm rating: 4)
● Stretches only in one-dimension
Tyvek / House-wrap
● Woven Polyethylene fabric
● Low permeability
● Same stretch characteristics
Deformation
on “the bias”
● Woven PE or PP textile stretch characteristics
● High durability, will not propagate tears
● Stretch-axis influenced by weave of fabric threads
Pinching Frame
Geotextile / Woven House-wrap / flexible formwork
Base Frame with PVC Pipes
Concrete pour
Surface Finish
Wrinkling - woven PP textile a non-stretchable membrane
● Robotically-bent rods and foam acting as impactos to provide undulating qualities and apertures
Matrix of Inquiry
Self-Weight of Concrete
● application would require thinness, leads to apertures and inquiry of how to control casting an aperture
● leads to development of foampactos and correlated 3d printed parts
How flexible formwork studies informed design process
DESIGN APPLICATIONS
Panel Design and Configuration
Panels in Use
Attachment System
…andwiththis,weaimtopresentaviableoptionfor accessible precast construction methods where formwork costs and waste can be cut down substantially. Meanwhile, still retaining the essential creative elements that come with increased formal variability, makingthisanattractiveoptionforsmallto midsize projects that want to include the natural beautyofconcretewhilebeingsmarteraboutwaste andtheircarbonfootprints.
