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summer workshops

FAST FORM/WORK : Casting a Sustainable Future

Jun 30, 2019 – Jul 21, 2019

Zurich, Switzerland

Nina Baier-Bischofberger

and

Trevor Watson

Fast Form/Work: Casting a Sustainable Future

Fast Form/Work: Casting a Sustainable Future

Fast Form/Work: Casting a Sustainable Future

GLOBAL_Baier-Bischofberger & Watson_3.JPG

Fast Form/Work: Casting a Sustainable Future

GLOBAL_Baier-Bischofberger & Watson_4.JPG

Fast Form/Work: Casting a Sustainable Future

GLOBAL_Baier-Bischofberger & Watson_5.JPG

Fast Form/Work: Casting a Sustainable Future

Fast Form/Work: Casting a Sustainable Future

Fast Form/Work: Casting a Sustainable Future

Fast Form/Work: Casting a Sustainable Future

Fast Form/Work: Casting a Sustainable Future

Research Question

Digital technology has become a standard tool in the architectural practice. However, many designs still remain too complex to build. With recent advances in digital building and material technology, we are finally able to realize designs that have, until now, only existed virtually. We are still only at the beginning of this advancement in building technology, but as we engage with experimental composite materials and new production techniques, the possibilities seem only to be constrained by our imagination.

more info (pdf)

Methodology

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.

Output and Findings

This workshop builds upon the casting experiments in the Transitional Geometries class at the GSAPP, and the full scale concrete work of Baier Bischofberger. The fabrication and geometric concepts explored in Transitional Geometries are now given the challenge of fabrication at full-scale, using an innovative new material. The outcome of the summer workshop is to produce a series of full-scale casts that will be captured in a photo essay by each student.

Partner Institutions

Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger, Digital BuildingTechnologies (DBT)
Prof. André Studart, Complex Materials, ETH Zurich

Other 2019 workshops

Urban Data: Parking in the Ala Moana Neighborhood and its Impact on Mobility	Kaz Sakamoto, Ann Harakawa	Honolulu, Hawaii	Aug 19, 2019 – Aug 30, 2019
Al Makassed, Beirut Islamic Society of Benevolent Intentions, A Patron of Modern Architecture	Ziad Jamaleddine	Beirut, Lebanon	Jul 16, 2019 – Aug 2, 2019
The Green Dip: Covering the City with a Forest	Winy Maas, Javier Arpa	Rotterdam, The Netherlands	Jul 5, 2019 – Jul 15, 2019
Sustainable Building Renovation in the Tropics	Belmont Freeman, Michael Adlerstein	Havana, Cuba	Jun 17, 2019 – Jun 27, 2019
Circular Cities	Malo Hutson	London, UK	Jun 11, 2019 – Jun 16, 2019