The ISMD Brick lab is realizing research projects in the 3d-clay printing of real scale free-form bricks for the use in building environments. Focus is currently the printing technology, the extrusion process and the final processing. Further development of 3d clay printing technique will focus on dimension, precision, speed and usable materials.
Key equipment:
ABB Robot 7 axis
Individually developed extrusion unite for clay
Individually developed control system for slicing and processing
COLLABORATIVE DESIGN: DDU researches forms of collaboration between architects and robots both in the design studio and on the construction site.
COMBINATORIAL DESIGN: Using computational design tools and digital fabrication DDU revisits modular design in architecture with the promise of reusable and affordable buildings.
DESIGN THROUGH GAMING: DDU explores how games can be used as design environments where architectural decisions are made collectively by architects, players and algorithms.
FORMWORK DESIGN: DDU’s work on rotoformed concrete pushes forward design processes for soft and reusable formwork with the aim to reduce material consumption in construction.
IMMERSIVE DESIGN: At DDU we look at the new types of interactions that emerge in Augmented and Virtual Reality and how they are redefining architectural design.
DIGITAL RECONSTRUCTION: DDU is reconstructing historic buildings for exhibitions and research projects.
Key equipment
2x Universal Robot UR 10 Kuka KR300 R2500 ultra
2 x 3d Printer Prusa
Laser cutting, CNC Hotwire Cutter, Microsoft Hololens, VR Head Sets 6x HTC Vive
On November 20, 2019 the symposium BE-AM | Built Environment – Additive Manufacturing will take place at the Formnext, Frankfurt. For the fifth time, Prof. Dr.-Ing Ulrich Knaack (Institute of Structural Mechanics and Design, ISMD) and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Oliver Tessmann (Digital Design Unit, DDU) invite experts from practice, research and industry to explore the current status and future potential of additive manufacturing for construction and architecture.
Digitalisation has significantly changed design and planning in recent years. With 3D printing, this development is now migrating into the realm of construction. Materials such as concrete, clay and steel are used in additive manufacturing processes and 3D printers reach dimensions that suit the needs of construction. At the same time, complex material requirements, compliance with standards and norms and the integration of new processes into established procedures on site represent challenges that still have to be mastered.
On October 12, 2018, the symposium BE-AM | Built Environment – Additive Manufacturing will take place at the Georg-Christoph-Lichtenberg-Haus in Darmstadt. For the fourth time, Prof. Dr.-Ing Ulrich Knaack (Institute of Structural Mechanics and Design, ISMD) and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Oliver Tessmann (Digital Design Unit, DDU) invites experts from practice, research, and industry to the TU Darmstadt to explore the current status and future potential of additive manufacturing for construction and architecture.
Digitalization has significantly changed design and planning in recent years. With 3D printing, this development is now migrating into the realm of construction. Materials such as concrete, clay, and steel are used in additive manufacturing processes and 3D printers reach dimensions that suit the needs of construction. At the same time, complex material requirements, compliance with standards and norms, and the integration of new processes into established procedures on-site represent challenges that still have to be mastered.
At the BE-AM Symposium 2018, experts present, among other things, the first AM concrete components on-site, 3D printed street furniture made of plastic waste, and research into digital fabrication and robotics within the architectural practice of a planning office.