Conference proceedings article
Redefining Material Efficiency
Publication Details
Authors: | Schramm, K.; Eppinger, C.; Rossi, A.; Braun, M.; Brieden, M.; Seim, W.; Eversmann, P. |
Editor: | Gengnagel, C., Baverel, O., Betti, G., Popescu, M., Thomsen, M.R., Wurm, J. |
Publisher: | Springer International Publishing |
Place: | Cham |
Publication year: | 2023 |
Pages range : | 516--527 |
Book title: | DMS 2022: Towards Radical Regeneration |
ISBN: | 978-3-031-13249-0 |
Abstract
Available building materials are scarcer than ever before. The shortage of materials influences also timber construction, which has been experiencing a revival in the last decades, due to the material's excellent reputation as a sustainable resource. The rising motivation to build more sustainably demands large material quantities that the market can hardly supply. Hence, strategies to increase the efficiency of material usage are needed. Conventionally, material efficiency is equated exclusively with the reduction of the total amount of material used. However, a more holistic approach that considers not only the total quantities but also the dimensions and material grading could offer novel strategies to improve material usage and reduce waste. A fundamental shift in the design and construction of timber building elements is required with a particular focus on strategies enabling the reuse and recycling of small-scale timber components and on joining methods that enable the elimination of adhesives and thus allow for disassembly. This research, therefore, proposes a novel system of hollow timber slabs comprised of multiple layers consisting of an internal layer of small-scale beams in optimized locations connected to two outer plates through wood dowels. To design and fabricate these pure timber slabs the application of computational design and optimization methods to identify ideal material layouts and the use of automated robotic assembly processes to simplify production are required.
Available building materials are scarcer than ever before. The shortage of materials influences also timber construction, which has been experiencing a revival in the last decades, due to the material's excellent reputation as a sustainable resource. The rising motivation to build more sustainably demands large material quantities that the market can hardly supply. Hence, strategies to increase the efficiency of material usage are needed. Conventionally, material efficiency is equated exclusively with the reduction of the total amount of material used. However, a more holistic approach that considers not only the total quantities but also the dimensions and material grading could offer novel strategies to improve material usage and reduce waste. A fundamental shift in the design and construction of timber building elements is required with a particular focus on strategies enabling the reuse and recycling of small-scale timber components and on joining methods that enable the elimination of adhesives and thus allow for disassembly. This research, therefore, proposes a novel system of hollow timber slabs comprised of multiple layers consisting of an internal layer of small-scale beams in optimized locations connected to two outer plates through wood dowels. To design and fabricate these pure timber slabs the application of computational design and optimization methods to identify ideal material layouts and the use of automated robotic assembly processes to simplify production are required.
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