FAST FORM/WORK : Casting a Sustainable Future

During the summer of 2019, in collaboration with faculty and students from ETH Zurich, this workshop will be a hands-on investigation into the future of sustainable building technology. We will be exploring a brand-new building material, recently developed by the Complex Materials group of the ETH, an aerated foam made of a waste product that would otherwise end up in landfills. Unlike conventional concrete, this material does not produce any CO2 in its production. Students will be assessing the properties of this new material and exploring its potential. We will be casting large-scale elements to assemble into a full-scale architectural space. Together with the DBT at the ETH, we will explore various experimental large-scale casting methodologies and geometric concepts in tiling.

The workshop will also undertake an exploration of the concrete casting history of Switzerland. Visits to significant architectural sights that have experimented with complex concrete casting, including the NEST research center, will be supplemented with a tour of a precast concrete manufacturing facilities and lectures on the advancement of material technologies, such as carbon-fibre reinforcement.