Digital fabrication has been termed the “third industrial revolution” in recent years, and promises to revolutionize the construction industry with the potential of freeform architecture, less material waste, reduced construction costs, and increased worker safety. Digital fabrication techniques and cementitious materials have only intersected in a significant way within recent years. In this letter, we review the methods of digital fabrication with concrete, including 3D printing, under the encompassing term “digital concrete”, identifying major challenges for concrete technology within this field. We additionally provide an analysis of layered extrusion, the most popular digital fabrication technique in concrete technology, identifying the importance of hydration control in its implementation.
This paper takes a first step in characterizing a novel field of architectural research - aerial robotic construction (ARC) - where aerial robotics is used not only for construction, but as a guiding principle in the design and fabrication process. Featuring autonomous flying vehicles that lift small building elements and position them according to a precise digital blueprint, ARC offers a comprehensive new approach to architecture research and technology. Developed by the research groups of Gramazio & Kohler and Raffaello D'Andrea at ETH Zurich, ARC offers unique advantages over traditional approaches to building: it does not require scaffolding, it is easily scalable, and it offers digital integration and informational oversight across the entire design and building process. This paper considers 1) research parameters for the individual components of ARC (such as module design, connection methodologies, vehicle cooperation, and construction sequencing/synchronization), and 2) the architectural implications of integrating these discrete components into a systemic, unifying process at the earliest stages of design. Fidelity between the design concept and the full-scale construction is of particular concern.
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