This paper takes a first step in characterizing a novel field of research-Jammed Architectural Structures-where load-bearing architectural structures are automatically aggregated from bulk material. Initiated by the group of Gramazio Kohler Research at ETH Zürich and the Self-Assembly Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this digital fabrication approach fosters a combination of cutting-edge robotic fabrication technology and low-grade building material, shifting the focus from precise assembly of known parts towards controlled aggregation of granular material such as gravel or rocks. Since the structures in this process are produced without additional formwork, are fully reversible, and are produced from local or recycled materials, this pursuit offers a radical new approach to sustainable, economical and structurally sound building construction. The resulting morphologies allow for a convergence of novel aesthetic and structural capabilities, enabling a locally differentiated aggregation of material under digital guidance, and featuring high geometrical flexibility and minimal material waste. This paper considers 1) fundamental research parameters such as design computation and fabrication methods, 2) first results of physical experimentation, and 3) the architectural implications of this research for a unified, material-driven digital design and fabrication process. Full-scale experimentation demonstrates that it is possible to erect building-sized structures that are larger than the work-envelope of the digital fabrication setup.
In its more common manifestations, granular jamming relies on vacuums and membranes to bring about liquid‐to‐solid phase change in materials. Petrus Aejmelaeus‐Lindström, Ammar Mirjan, Fabio Gramazio and Matthias Kohler of ETH Zurich, and Schendy Kernizan, Björn Sparrman, Jared Laucks and Skylar Tibbits of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), describe two projects as members of the two research groups at ETH and MIT that have been collaborating to examine the possibilities of jamming in architecture and construction.
The Jammed Architectural Structures (JAS), presented in this article, are 3D-printed fully reversible architectural elements, composed of low-cost loose bulk material, and string reinforcement. The material system is based on crushed stones (known from the railroad industry) and recycled string. If poured without any containment, the stones naturally form a pile. However, in the case of our JAS, a robotically placed string is applied to confine and transform the bulk material into geometrically differentiated structures at an architectural scale. Since this is a nonstandard material system, a combination of techniques from the fields of architecture and materials science is necessary to, first, understand the material behavior and consequently to inform the processes of design and construction. This article investigates the load-bearing capacities and the deformation of our JAS by presenting results from a series of uniaxial compression tests and fiber-optic measurements. Findings from these tests serve to inform the generative logic of the string layout, which is not only key to the design of our JAS but also responsible for the material properties of the system. The developed methods are validated at an architectural scale through the design and construction of a wall segment loaded with concrete slabs. The presented results prove that the string/stone material system has the potential of becoming an actual load-bearing building material and forms the basis for material-informed design strategies for JAS.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.