Advances in Structural Applications of Digital Fabrication With Concrete

The construction industry needs to reduce its large environmental footprint drastically. Building with less material is one of the main levers for reducing this negative impact. This material reduction can be achieved with structurally efficient geometries requiring a higher degree of complexity than typically applied in conventional construction practices. Digital fabrication with concrete has been proposed as one of the solutions to facilitate the fabrication of efficient structures. Over the last few years, extensive research has been conducted within the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication at ETH Zurich to investigate digital fabrication with concrete for structural applications. Various digital technologies were investigated, including 3D concrete printing, digital casting, Mesh Mould, printed polymer formworks and knitted formworks. This contribution highlights the main findings of these investigations with a particular focus on the development of reinforcement strategies, as these strategies are an essential step to ensure compliance with existing design guidelines and ease of mass-market adaptation. Promising future research areas are identified based on the assessment of the technology readiness and sustainability potential of the investigated approaches.