About the Lectures
Integrative Design and Construction of an Interdisciplinary Research Project, Monika Göbel
The segmented wooden construction of hollow cassettes, designed by researchers from the IntCDC cluster of excellence at the University of Stuttgart, has now been applied for the first time in a closed building.
The envelope integrates acoustic elements in the hollow cassettes, adaptive, humidity- and heat-controlled shading flaps and an activated floor slab made of recycled concrete, which supplies the building with geothermal energy from underground collectors.
The basis of the cooperation in the implementation of the research building was that novel building constructions and building technologies were used that go beyond the recognized rules of technology.
Implementing these novel approaches to building research and transferring them into a building that can be used all year round was one of the challenges in realizing the "livMatS Biomimetic Shell @ FIT" cooperation project.
Robotic Manufacturing: Entirely Digitally Controlled Production of Integrative, High-Precision Building Components, Nils Opgenorth
The prefabricated hollow cassettes of the livMatS Biomimetic Shell required the integration of acoustic elements, lighting, insulation, facade connections and grip holes for automated assembly. The resulting high level of complexity in component geometries and -buildup was addressed with an entirely digitally controlled manufacturing process.
The heart of the fabrication was a transportable 7-axis robot platform, which allowed seamless integration of the modular fabrication setup in müllerbaustein HolzBauWerke GmbH's workshop within a few hours. The 12m-long robot unit enabled the simultaneous production of four components with lengths of up to 3.5 meters. A total of 127 individual hollow cassettes were assembled and glued from pre-formatted timber parts and subsequently milled, drilled and finally formatted with submillimeter accuracy by means of a large sawblade attached to the industrial robot arm. Manual assembly steps of special components such as lighting or insulation were supported by augmented reality and fully integrated into the digitally controlled production process. The accurate task distribution between multiple actors in one shared digital process chain allowed for a flexible and time-efficient production of complex, integrative components with very high precision requirements.
Semi-automated assembly of wooden buildings with large-scale manipulators, Anja Lauer
Within the context of the livMatS Biomimetic Shell @ FIT timber building, research was conducted on the automated assembly of building components on a construction site. For the first time, two assembly platform prototypes were developed and used on a real construction site. Prototype A picks up and places components automatically, while prototype B screws the wooden components into place using a specially developed and patented screw effector.
Solar Gate: Bio-inspired and Bio-based 4D printing - Intelligent Zero-Energy Shading, Tiffany Cheng
The aim of the Solar Gate is to regulate the indoor climate of the livMatS Biomimetic Shell by shielding its interior from high heat loads during the summer while allowing thermal energy to penetrate the building during the winter. Through the integrated development of hygroscopic cellulosic materials, bioinspired additive manufacturing, and design of 4D-printed shading elements in the context of environmental and site conditions, the facade system passively adapts to daily and seasonal weather cycles. As the first truly 4D-printed weather-responsive adaptive shading system, the Solar Gate represents a step towards a more sustainable, resource-efficient, and energy-autonomous solution for regulating comfort in our built environment.
About the Speakers
Monika Göbel is a research associate at the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) at the University of Stuttgart. She is a registered architect in Germany and holds a Master of Science degree from Columbia University, New York and a Diplom-Ingenieur degree (Dipl.-Ing. FH) from Kiel University of Applied Sciences, Germany.
Before joining ICD, Monika gained professional experience as an architect and project manager in various architectural projects and also managed the construction projects at IntCDC – for example the "livMatS Biomimetic Shell @ FIT".
Nils Opgenorth is a research associate at the ICD with a focus on computational wood architecture and on-site construction. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the Leibniz University Hannover and a Master of Science in Integrative Technologies and Architectural Design Research (ITECH) from the University of Stuttgart.
Prior to joining ICD, he taught at the Institute for Digital Methods in Architecture in Hannover. During his time, he developed a construction system of thin, bending-loaded plates and exhibited his work in a large-scale demonstrator at the Sprengel Museum Hannover.
His master’s thesis “Building Across Scales: A Robotic Timber Fabrication System for On-Site Press Gluing“, which he developed together with his colleague Daniel Locatelli, was awarded the “IntCDC Master’s Thesis Grants 2021” and proposes a heterogeneous multi-scalar robotic construction system to further automate on-site timber construction.
Anja Lauer is a research associate at the Institute of System Dynamics (ISIYS), University of Stuttgart, Germany, and completed her Master's degree in "Mechanical Engineering" at Toyohashi University of Technology in Japan. At the same time, she graduated from the University of Stuttgart with a master's degree in "Technical Cybernetics" as a double master. As part of the IntCDC cluster of excellence, she is conducting research in the field of large-scale robotics on cyber-physical systems for construction site assembly of long-span structures using spider cranes.
Tiffany Cheng is a research associate at the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) at the University of Stuttgart. She is from Taiwan and brings a background in architecture and robotics manufacturing.
Tiffany holds a Master's in Design Studies with a concentration in Technology from the Graduate School of Design of Harvard University. Previously, she graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture (USC School of Cinematic Arts). Her research at ICD aims to advance knowledge of 4D-printed, self-forming, and responsive material systems and develop the complementary hardware and software tools used to fabricate them.
About the Partners
The University of Stuttgart established the Cluster of Excellence on Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (IntCDC) in 2019. With an initial funding period of seven years, a Cluster of Excellence is the most significant and substantial grant awarded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). For the very first time, a Cluster of Excellence has been awarded to the field of Architecture. It will contribute to establishing an internationally visible research center. More information.
The vision of the Cluster of Excellence Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials Systems (livMatS) is to combine the best of two worlds – nature and technology. livMatS develops life-like materials systems inspired by nature. The systems will adapt autonomously to their environment, harvest clean energy from it, and be insensitive to damage or recover from it. More information. More information.
