the introduction of highly sophisticated computermodelling technologies has meant that designing the shape and form of a building is now onlylimited by an architect's imagination. leading architectural practices such as foster+ partners, are designing buildings to a level of geometrical complexity unheard of ten yearsago. however, while these forms can often be achievedthrough offsite factory-based manufacturing techniques, there are significant limits tothe levels of intricacy attainable. for example, pouring concrete into a formworkcan go some way to fulfilling these ambitions but the reality is that the achievable complexityis still limited. the manufacturing processes required to turnthese complex building designs into reality
have remained elusive, until now. this may be about to change if current researchby scientists at loughborough university comes to fruition. the research group has been inspired by 3dprinting, an additive manufacturing process. here, information created from computer generatedmodels is exported to a machine which then builds up a model or a component, layer bylayer. the virtual model is, in effect, materialised. at loughborough, instead of using powder andglue they are experimenting with concrete to create large-scale building components. the research here, loughborough universitygives us tremendous opportunities. we are
able to have a little peek into future tosee what construction technology will be in the next five or ten years. concrete printing works on the basis of ahighly controlled extrusion of a cement based mortar which is precisely positioned accordingto computer data. the process has the potential to create architecturethat is more unique in form, but crucially, components do not have to be made from solidmaterial and so can use resources more efficiently than traditional techniques. we have shown how additive manufacturing canbe developed to create large structures such as panels or walls with precisely controlledvoids within them.
for example, the section which you can seebeing manufactured here could incorporate all the service requirements of a building,such as pipes and cables in one unit. this process is capable of producing buildingcomponents with a degree of customisation that has not yet been seen. it could createa new era of architecture that is adapted to the environment and fully integrated withengineering function. imagine whole sections of a building beingprinted and then assembled on site with their service provision already installed. above all, imagine a building whose form andscale could take on limitless possibilities.