Sustainable Building Materials of the Future: Architectural Forms and Structural Design
Disciplines
Architecture | Civil and Environmental Engineering | Mechanical Engineering
Abstract (300 words maximum)
This research investigates the use of non-rigid formwork and the techniques aiming to create more efficient concrete forms. During casting, concrete takes the shape of its formwork; traditionally, these formworks are made of rigid materials like steel or wood. The results are prismatic members, which are not optimized for material usage but only for simplicity in construction. Most of the research in the area of concrete focuses on improving the constituent materials, while the formworks have remained mostly unchanged throughout the years. By using the approach described in this study, optimized shapes are achieved. These geometries can save up to 40% of the material while maintaining the same strength and durability. In this study, we investigated the structural capacity of reinforced concrete members built with this technique and the necessary solutions to perform better and more consistent casts. Formworks were improved with each cast until a consistent method of creating the desired beam shape was achieved. Using both software are standard laboratory tests, the data were collected and analyzed. The beam then is further optimized using the gathered data and the formwork adjusted as needed. Our research also opened up new questions. How can the formwork be applied on a larger scale, and how does the shape influence the design language of concrete construction?
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CACM - Architecture
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Giovanni Loreto
Additional Faculty
Daniel Kuemmerle, Civil Engineering, dkuemmer@kennesaw.edu Arash Soleimani, Architecture, asoleim1@kennesaw.edu Randy Emert, Mechanical Engineering remert@kennesaw.edu
Sustainable Building Materials of the Future: Architectural Forms and Structural Design
This research investigates the use of non-rigid formwork and the techniques aiming to create more efficient concrete forms. During casting, concrete takes the shape of its formwork; traditionally, these formworks are made of rigid materials like steel or wood. The results are prismatic members, which are not optimized for material usage but only for simplicity in construction. Most of the research in the area of concrete focuses on improving the constituent materials, while the formworks have remained mostly unchanged throughout the years. By using the approach described in this study, optimized shapes are achieved. These geometries can save up to 40% of the material while maintaining the same strength and durability. In this study, we investigated the structural capacity of reinforced concrete members built with this technique and the necessary solutions to perform better and more consistent casts. Formworks were improved with each cast until a consistent method of creating the desired beam shape was achieved. Using both software are standard laboratory tests, the data were collected and analyzed. The beam then is further optimized using the gathered data and the formwork adjusted as needed. Our research also opened up new questions. How can the formwork be applied on a larger scale, and how does the shape influence the design language of concrete construction?