Adaptive Fabrication of Sandwich Segmented Shells

The aim of this project is to implement an adaptive fabrication pro­cess that allows for on-site production and assembly of wood-based composite segmented shells with variable thickness.

Arranging thin layers of plywood into a structurally more efficient multi-layered configuration with foam core infill, allows to create lightweight modular units matching the unique affordances of robotic on-site fabrication. Throughout the fabrication process the panel components are machined and shaped on site, followed by the as­sembly sequence.

To produce this fabrication system, material research and specific digital and robotic fabrication tools were developed to achieve a specific design goals. This required combined efforts of structural analysis a generative panelization strategy, robotic control and sens­ing feedback integrated to a digital fabrication loop that can adapt the subsequent production.

ITECH M.Sc. Thesis Project 2017: Adaptive Fabrication of Sandwich Segmented Shells
Leonard Balas, Olga Kalina, Juan Patricio Lara Ditzel

Thesis Advisers: Oliver Krieg, Lauren Vasey, Simon Bechert

Thesis Supervisor: Prof. Achim Menges
Second Supervisor: Prof. Jan Knippers