01 Fakultät Architektur und Stadtplanung

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Open Access
4D printed hygroscopic programmable material architectures
(Stuttgart : Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart, 2022) Correa, David; Menges, Achim (Prof., AA Dipl(Hons))
Developing Materials that can change their shape in response to external signals, like heat or humidity, is a critical concern for architectural design as it enables designers to develop building components that can be programmed to transform in response to changing environmental conditions. However, developing a stimulus-responsive material requires the architect to extend its level of engagement from the macroscale of the building into the much smaller scale of the material’s micro- and meso-structure. In this thesis, a novel approach for the 4D printing (4DP) of hygroscopic responsive shape-changing mechanisms is proposed and analysed. This approach engages the design of mesoscale technical structures, via a precise material deposition, that harness the anisotropic properties inherent to the fabrication process and the constitution of the printing material itself. Organization models from biological organisms, such as motile plant structures, are abstracted into smart 4D printed techniques to preprogram water induced shape-change using copolymers with embedded cellulose fibrils. This principle enables expansion or contraction forces, whose direction and strength are dependent on the architecture of the 3D printed structure. A series of experiments are described that validate the transfer of known hygroscopic bilayer principles from lamination processes to 3D printing (3DP). They demonstrate the increased programmable control of the 4DP technique through functional gradation, moisture control and multi-phase motion; and present the augmented kinematic capacity of the novel 4DP technique. In addition to the self-shaping mechanisms, the possibilities and challenges of using 4DP structures in architectural applications, such as aperture assemblies and flap mechanisms are discussed. The presented techniques, and bio-inspired approach to material organization, demonstrate the first successful application of differentiated Wood Polymer Composite (WPC) 3DP for programmable hygroscopic shape-change. The experiments can help to form the basis for complex stimulus-responsive building components capable of performing autonomous transformations in technical applications for thermal and moisture regulation.
Open Access
Adaptive kinematic textile architecture
(2020) Wyller, Maria; Yablonina, Maria; Alvarez, Martin; Menges, Achim
The research presented in this paper explores how textiles can be formed into adaptive, kinematic spaces to be able to respond to its environment and users utilizing on-site, distributed, mobile robotic connectors. The project aimed at creating an adaptive system that consumes little energy while making use of textiles’ advantageous qualities - their lightweight, portability, and manipulability. This was achieved through the development of a bespoke on-material mobile machine able to locomote on suspended sheets of fabrics while shaping them. Together, the connector and the tectonic system compose a lightweight architectural robot controlled with a feedback loop that evaluates real-time environmental sensor data from the space against user-defined targets. This research demonstrates how the combination of mobile robotics and textile architecture opens up new design possibilities for adaptive spaces by proposing a system that is able to generate a significant architectural effect with minimal mechanical actuation.
Open Access
Advanced timber construction industry : a quantitative review of 646 global design and construction stakeholders
(2023) Orozco, Luis; Svatoš-Ražnjević, Hana; Wagner, Hans Jakob; Abdelaal, Moataz; Amtsberg, Felix; Weiskopf, Daniel; Menges, Achim
There has been a multi-storey timber construction boom since the start of the millennium. While there is now a body of research on trends, benefits, and disadvantages of timber construction, there is not yet literature on the wider market or the impact of stakeholders on it. This research investigates the (i) architects, (ii) engineers, and (iii) manufacturers involved in the realization of 300 contemporary multi-storey timber buildings from an existing survey. The analysis is based on data sourced from stakeholder websites and the building survey. It evaluates the perceived level of timber expertise of stakeholders based on service categorization and stakeholder type and relates them to the buildings they worked on. The research uses quantitative methods to answer qualitative questions on the connection between architectural variety in timber construction and the stakeholders involved. Interconnectivity between stakeholders and projects is visualized in an interactive network graph. The study shows a segmented mass timber market with relatively few impactful design and construction stakeholders, mostly located in central and northern Europe. It also identifies fabricators as the largest group of innovators advancing the industry and enabling the construction of more complex projects. It reveals the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing for the industry’s growth.
Open Access
Advanced timber construction industry : a review of 350 multi-storey timber projects from 2000-2021
(2022) Svatoš-Ražnjević, Hana; Orozco, Luis; Menges, Achim
Throughout the last two decades the timber building sector has experienced a steady growth in multi-storey construction. Although there has been a growing number of research focused on trends, benefits, and disadvantages in timber construction from various technical perspectives, so far there is no extensive literature on the trajectory of emerging architectural typologies. This paper presents an examination of architectural variety and spatial possibilities in current serial and modular multi-storey timber construction. It aims to draw a parallel between architectural characteristics and their relation to structural systems in timber. The research draws from a collection of 350 contemporary multi-storey timber building projects between 2000 and 2021. It consists of 300 built projects, 12 projects currently in construction, and 38 design proposals. The survey consists of quantitative and qualitative project data, as well as classification of the structural system, material, program, massing, and spatial organization of the projects. It then compares the different structural and design aspects to achieve a comprehensive overview of possibilities in timber construction. The outcome is an identification of the range of morphologies and a better understanding of the design space in current serial and modular multi-storey mass timber construction.
Open Access
Agent-based principal strips modeling for freeform surfaces in architecture
(2024) Chai, Hua; Orozco, Luis; Kannenberg, Fabian; Siriwardena, Lasath; Schwinn, Tobias; Liu, Hanning; Menges, Achim; Yuan, Philip F.
The principal curvature (PC) of a freeform surface, as an important indicator of its fundamental features, is frequently used to guide their rationalization in the field of architectural geometry. The division of a surface using its PC lines into principal strips (PSs) is an innovative way to break down a freeform surface for construction. However, the application of PC networks in architectural design is hindered by the difficulty to generate them and flexibly control their density. This paper introduces a method for PS-based reconstruction of freeform surfaces with different umbilical conditions in the early stages of design. An agent-based modeling approach is developed to find the umbilics and increase the degree of control over the spacing of PC lines. This research can effectively expand the application range of PS-based surface reconstruction methods for freeform architectures.
Open Access
Architectural potentials of robotic manufacturing in timber construction : strategies for interdisciplinary innovation in manufacturing and design
(Stuttgart : Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart, 2022) Krieg, Oliver David; Menges, Achim (Prof.)
This thesis investigates the impact of innovation in robotic manufacturing and computational design on the architectural and tectonic possibilities of timber construction. Until recently, the digitalization of manufacturing and design has mostly resulted in increased efficiencies of singular processes without noticeable impacts on the inter-organizational relationships in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. However, recent developments in integrative architectural design research have shown the potential to introduce a paradigm change by bringing manufacturing technology into a reciprocal relationship with the design space of building systems. In a series of case studies, the thesis investigates integrative and inter-disciplinary development processes that resulted in timber building systems that exhibit a high degree of morphological and functional differentiation, and therefore a larger, gradated, and more adaptive design space. The gradual distribution of material and form is akin to biological principles found in natural structures. The goal of the thesis is to develop a methodology that enables the comparison of manufacturing systems for timber building elements with their resulting design space in a qualitative and quantitative manner, thereby re-integrating disciplines of form, material, and materialization. The thesis also discusses the potential of this paradigm shift to introduce much-needed systemic innovation in the industry.
Open Access
Autonomous robotic additive manufacturing through distributed model‐free deep reinforcement learning in computational design environments
(2022) Felbrich, Benjamin; Schork, Tim; Menges, Achim
The objective of autonomous robotic additive manufacturing for construction in the architectural scale is currently being investigated in parts both within the research communities of computational design and robotic fabrication (CDRF) and deep reinforcement learning (DRL) in robotics. The presented study summarizes the relevant state of the art in both research areas and lays out how their respective accomplishments can be combined to achieve higher degrees of autonomy in robotic construction within the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. A distributed control and communication infrastructure for agent training and task execution is presented, that leverages the potentials of combining tools, standards and algorithms of both fields. It is geared towards industrial CDRF applications. Using this framework, a robotic agent is trained to autonomously plan and build structures using two model-free DRL algorithms (TD3, SAC) in two case studies: robotic block stacking and sensor-adaptive 3D printing. The first case study serves to demonstrate the general applicability of computational design environments for DRL training and the comparative learning success of the utilized algorithms. Case study two highlights the benefit of our setup in terms of tool path planning, geometric state reconstruction, the incorporation of fabrication constraints and action evaluation as part of the training and execution process through parametric modeling routines. The study benefits from highly efficient geometry compression based on convolutional autoencoders (CAE) and signed distance fields (SDF), real-time physics simulation in CAD, industry-grade hardware control and distinct action complementation through geometric scripting. Most of the developed code is provided open source.
Open Access
Co-design and agent-based methods for multi-storey wood building systems
(Stuttgart : Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart, 2024) Orozco, Luis; Menges, Achim (Prof., AADipl(Hons))
Timber, the most widely used natural material in the construction industry, can sequester carbon as it grows and store it in the built environment. However, due to the logistically mandated orthogonal shape of raw and conventionally prefabricated Engineered Wood Products and the limited single spans they can achieve, most contemporary timber buildings currently only have one of a restricted set of uses, with little possibility for reuse. This limits timber's utility in urban environments, which often require filling in irregular sites and extending existing structures. It also limits the building industry's potential environmental contributions. These restrictions could be overcome by using interdisciplinary organisational and computational design methods. This research investigates new ways to design wood buildings through improved cross-discipline collaboration. First, it evaluates co-design as a means of integrating different disciplines throughout the design process by applying it to the design of a prototype building. Then, it proposes agent-based methods for procedurally and interactively negotiating between conflicting sets of optimisation criteria. Agent-based simulations were developed for the placement of columns, the subdivision of floor plates into fabricable and transportable slab segments, and the reinforcement of these segments with internal members. These developments built upon a framework for timber building systems and their data structures. These methods were then tested on the design and fabrication of timber buildings across a range of scales and resolutions. This research demonstrates that innovative computational and organisational methods can results in an increased design space for multi-storey timber buildings. This results in an expanded palette of building types, and an increased contribution by the building sector to the global environmental and humanitarian housing crises.
Open Access
Co-design methods for non-standard multi-storey timber buildings
(2023) Orozco, Luis; Krtschil, Anna; Wagner, Hans Jakob; Bechert, Simon; Amtsberg, Felix; Knippers, Jan; Menges, Achim
To meet climate change goals and respond to increased global urbanisation, the building industry needs to improve both its building technology and its design methods. Constrained urban environments and building stock extensions are challenges for standard timber construction. Co-design promises to better integrate disciplines and processes, promising smaller feedback loops for design iteration and building verification. This article describes the integrated design, fabrication, and construction processes of a timber building prototype as a case study for the application of co-design methods. Emphasis is placed on the development of design and engineering methods, fabrication and construction processes, and materials and building systems. The development of the building prototype builds on previous research in robotic fabrication (including prefabrication, task distribution, and augmented reality integration), agent-based modelling (ABM) for the design and optimisation of structural components, and the systematisation of timber buildings and their components. The results presented in this article include a functional example of co-design from which best practises may be extrapolated as part of an inductive approach to design research. The prototype, with its co-designed process and resultant flat ceilings, integrated services, wide spans, and design adaptability for irregular column locations, has the potential to expand the design potential of multi-storey timber buildings.
Open Access
Computational Design Methoden für die Gestaltung von Automobilen
(Stuttgart : Institut für Computerbasiertes Entwerfen und Baufertigung, Universität Stuttgart, 2020) Reichert, Steffen; Menges, Achim (Prof.)
In dieser Dissertation wird die Anwendbarkeit von computerbasierten Gestaltungsmethoden jenseits klassischer CAD-Modellierung für das Gestaltungsfeld des Automobildesigns untersucht. Formgenerierende Algorithmen und dazugehörige Anwendungsstrategien werden systematisch im Hinblick auf ihre Anwendung im Automobildesign und ihre charakteristische Formensprache vergleichend betrachtet, praktisch erprobt und experimentell erforscht. Weitergehend wird untersucht, zu welchem Zeitpunkt algorithmische Methoden im Gestaltungsprozess einsetzbar sind. Anfänglich wird die Arbeit in den historischen, methodologischen und theoretischen Kontext der Entwicklung von Computational Design gestellt. Einleitende Grundlagen sowie der Stand der Technik werden erörtert. Anschließend werden syntaktische Bestandteile virtueller Formerzeugung und Formveränderung auf prinzipieller Ebene diskutiert und in Form eines konzeptionellen Gerüsts zusammengefügt. Dieses generalisierte Gerüst soll als Rahmenwerk zur Einordnung der Fallstudien, sowie als generelle Beschreibung eines Gestaltungsystems dienen. Eine Kollektion aus sechs Fallstudien bietet einen Überblick über Möglichkeiten von Computational Design und die Vielfalt ihrer Anwendbarkeit im Automobildesign. Die Fallstudien umfassen (1) algorithmische Methoden zur Erzeugung von Mustern, (2) die Erforschung einer generativen Methode zur algorithmischen Erzeugung von dreidimensionalen Fahrzeugkörpern, (3) Umformungsmethoden von Gestaltungen, um geometrische Körper mit erhöhtem Freiheitsgrad deformieren zu können, (4) Methoden der algorithmischen, dreidimensionalen Modulation einer Körperoberfläche, (5) Methoden der algorithmischen Bildung von Entwurfsvarianten, sowie (6) eine empirische Studie zur Validität von Computational Design im praktischen Entwurfsprozess eines Konzeptfahrzeugs. Aus den Fallstudien ergeben sich eine Reihe übergreifender Erkenntnisse über den Nutzen von Algorithmen und computerbasiertem Entwerfen im automobilen Gestaltungskontext. Es wird diskutiert, welche Arten von algorithmischen Methoden in welchen Gebieten und zu welchen Zeitpunkten Anwendung finden können. Dabei wird aufgezeigt, dass Computational Design mehr als nur die simple Anwendung von Algorithmen bzw. Programmierung im Designprozess bedeutet.
Open Access
Computational fiber architecture : co-design of large-scale, load-adapted fiber composite building components for robotic pre-fabrication
(Stuttgart : Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart, 2023) Zechmeister, Christoph; Menges, Achim (Prof.)
The architecture, engineering, and construction sectors are encountering major challenges in delivering livable and affordable environments in light of current demographic shifts and environmental changes. Digital technologies provide promising solutions, disrupting the way to design, construct, and experience physical space. Their implementation demands rethinking design, evaluation, and materialization to leverage material capacities propelled by computational design and numerical manufacturing. Coreless filament winding extends industrial processes to produce lightweight, material-efficient building parts with minimal formwork. However, it creates additional complexity for design and engineering, as it derives its formative capacity from interacting fiber rovings. This research presents a consolidated methodology to co-design coreless wound fiber composite building components for robotic prefabrication based on four main methods. Concurrent design and evaluation of fiber components are investigated using a feedback-based computational method and implemented using multi-scalar digital-physical design and evaluation toolsets. To increase sustainability, methods and toolsets are extended allowing for the replacement of petrochemical materials with bio-based alternatives. To implement the methods at a larger scale, a computational co-design framework is introduced, reconsidering team compositions and integrating interdisciplinary experts deep into design and evaluation workflows. As Co-design relies on the concurrent evolution of involved disciplines, interdisciplinary data sets are analyzed and interrelated, serving as a base for reciprocal feedback between computational design, engineering, and fabrication to increase process reliability, enable future reduction of material safety factors, and further increase material efficiency and sustainability. The methods are demonstrated by three full-scale building demonstrators, exhibiting different fibrous building systems. The BUGA Fiber Pavilion, Maison Fibre, and the livMatS Pavilion illustrate how concurrent multidisciplinary innovation challenges conventional ways of design and materialization. Computation acts as an interface between digital and physical realms, and material capacities become primary drivers in the generation of architectural form, paving the way for sustainable, material-efficient computational fiber architecture.
Open Access
Computational optimisation of urban design models : a systematic literature review
(2024) Tay, JingZhi; Ortner, Frederick Peter; Wortmann, Thomas; Aydin, Elif Esra
The densification of urban spaces globally has contributed to a need for design tools supporting the planning of more sustainable, efficient, and liveable cities. Urban Design Optimisation (UDO) responds to this challenge by providing a means to explore many design solutions for a district, evaluate multiple objectives, and make informed selections from many Pareto-efficient solutions. UDO distinguishes itself from other forms of design optimisation by addressing the challenges of incorporating a wide range of planning goals, managing the complex interactions among various urban datasets, and considering the social-technical aspects of urban planning involving multiple stakeholders. Previous reviews focusing on specific topics within UDO do not sufficiently address these challenges. This PRISMA systematic literature review provides an overview of research on topics related to UDO from 2012 to 2022, with articles analysed across seven descriptive categories. This paper presents a discussion on the state-of-the-art and identified gaps present in each of the seven categories. Finally, this paper argues that additional research to improve the socio-technical understanding and usability of UDO would require: (i) methods of optimisation across multiple models, (ii) interfaces that address a multiplicity of stakeholders, (iii) exploration of frameworks for scenario building and backcasting, and (iv) advancing AI applications for UDO, including generalizable surrogates and user preference learning.
Open Access
Cross-sectional 4D-printing : upscaling self-shaping structures with differentiated material properties inspired by the large-flowered butterwort (Pinguicula grandiflora)
(2023) Sahin, Ekin Sila; Cheng, Tiffany; Wood, Dylan; Tahouni, Yasaman; Poppinga, Simon; Thielen, Marc; Speck, Thomas; Menges, Achim
Extrusion-based 4D-printing, which is an emerging field within additive manufacturing, has enabled the technical transfer of bioinspired self-shaping mechanisms by emulating the functional morphology of motile plant structures (e.g., leaves, petals, capsules). However, restricted by the layer-by-layer extrusion process, much of the resulting works are simplified abstractions of the pinecone scale’s bilayer structure. This paper presents a new method of 4D-printing by rotating the printed axis of the bilayers, which enables the design and fabrication of self-shaping monomaterial systems in cross sections. This research introduces a computational workflow for programming, simulating, and 4D-printing differentiated cross sections with multilayered mechanical properties. Taking inspiration from the large-flowered butterwort (Pinguicula grandiflora), which shows the formation of depressions on its trap leaves upon contact with prey, we investigate the depression formation of bioinspired 4D-printed test structures by varying each depth layer. Cross-sectional 4D-printing expands the design space of bioinspired bilayer mechanisms beyond the XY plane, allows more control in tuning their self-shaping properties, and paves the way toward large-scale 4D-printed structures with high-resolution programmability.
Open Access
Designing [with] machines : task- and site-specific robotic teams for architectural in situ making
(Stuttgart : Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart, 2023) Yablonina, Maria; Menges, Achim (Prof.)
Over the past two decades, robotic fabrication in the context of an architectural practice has become almost synonymous with large-scale industrial robots and fabrication machines. The appropriation of industrial hardware in an architectural context has allowed designers to explore novel processes, materials, and design methodologies enabled by the freedom of mechanized movement that an industrial machine affords. However, in inheriting industrial automation technology, designers and architects had to adapt to and work around the limitations, protocols, and workflows that these machines imply. This thesis proposes an alternative approach to robotic fabrication in architecture focusing on design and development of architecture-specific fabrication robots rather than appropriating existing industrial equipment. It specifically addresses the fabrication of temporary lightweight filament structures within environments that are defined by the existing building stock. This thesis presents three case study projects, each demonstrating a task- and site-specific mobile robotic team for in situ fabrication of tensile filament structures in interior spaces. Each of the three case studies demonstrates a climbing robotic locomotion system that is designed to match the affordances of the site. Each of the robotic systems is able to navigate along the architectural features of a given interior space, and to perform filament winding fabrication tasks in order to produce room-scale architectural objects. Throughout the three presented case studies this thesis explores an approach to the design of robotic fabrication systems and workflows wherein the hardware and the design parameters are treated as interdependent variables. This approach, titled Designing[with]Machines, offers an opportunity to develop robotic hardware and software systems from scratch, and tailoring them to fit the criteria of the design and fabrication processes. The proposed methodology includes simultaneous development of hardware, software, and architectural design parameters, which can be described as a series of interdependent relationships between the machine, the site, the material, and the designer. Within these relationships, the typically rigid technical parameter boundaries of robotic hardware become compliant and adjustable in response to the design criteria.
Open Access
Designing for unsupervised construction : an investigation of the affordances of on-site autonomy
(Stuttgart : Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart, 2021) Melenbrink, Nathan; Menges, Achim (Prof.)
Since the First Industrial Revolution, the construction and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure has been characterized by a reliance upon heavy equipment, which has shaped how designers and engineers conceive of their agency in the built environment. However, 21st century advances in hardware and control systems allow for distributed and autonomous hardware solutions, enabling a paradigm shift in the co-design of machines and the interventions they deliver. However, in order to overcome the inertia of the mature technologies developed around heavy equipment, an entirely new suite of sensors, actuators and algorithms needs to be developed. This thesis will present an argument for small-scale distributed robotics for construction automation, and will demonstrate that this approach can utilize practical materials to build useful structures in unpredictable environments. This argument is supported by an extensive literature review focused on the technological requirements for unsupervised (fully autonomous) robotic construction, and identifies gaps between academic and industry research that remain unfilled. Among these overlooked areas are (1) the need for embedded sensing in construction materials, and for co-designing robot hardware in coordination with novel construction robots, and (2) the need for an autonomous solution to providing foundation support. These two needs are explored through the representative example tasks of truss assembly and pile driving, respectively. Each task is demonstrated in prototypical hardware, with an emphasis on realistic materials and scenarios not dependent on human preparation. Each task is explored in simulation as multi-agent deployments. Finally, a summarizing demonstration illustrates how these two research findings might be leveraged in coordination to advance autonomy in an example construction scenario.
Open Access
Environmental impact of a mono-material timber building envelope with enhanced energy performance
(2022) Bucklin, Oliver; Di Bari, Roberta; Amtsberg, Felix; Menges, Achim
Broader adoption of timber construction is a strategy for reducing negative greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions created by the construction industry. This paper proposes a novel solid timber building envelope that uses computational design and digital fabrication to improve buildings’ energy performance. Timber beams are sawn with deep slits that improve thermal insulation and are milled with various joints for airtight, structural connections. To minimize embedded energy and to simplify disposal, the envelope is assembled without adhesives or metal fasteners. The building envelope is evaluated for thermal resistance and airtightness, and fabrication is evaluated for duration and power output during sawing. Finally, a Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) is carried out. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) is compared to that of other wood envelope systems with similar thermal conductance. Compared to other timber constructions with similar building physics properties, the proposed system showed lower GWP values (-15.63 kg CO2 eq./m² construction). The development and analysis demonstrate the potential to use digitally controlled subtractive manufacturing for improving the quality of solid timber to achieve higher environmental performance in building envelopes. However, further design and fabrication optimizations may be necessary to reduce required materials and production energy.
Open Access
Extension of computational co-design methods for modular, prefabricated composite building components using bio-based material systems
(2023) Zechmeister, Christoph; Gil Pérez, Marta; Dambrosio, Niccolo; Knippers, Jan; Menges, Achim
Robotic coreless filament winding using alternative material systems based on natural fibers and bio-based resin systems offers possible solutions to the productivity and sustainability challenges of the building and construction sector. Their application in modular, prefabricated structures allows for material-efficient and fast production under tightly controlled conditions leading to high-quality building parts with minimal production waste. Plant fibers made of flax or hemp have high stiffness and strength values and their production consumes less non-renewable energy than glass or carbon fibers. However, the introduction of natural material systems increases uncertainties in structural performance and fabrication parameters. The development process of coreless wound composite parts must thus be approached from the bottom up, treating the material system as an integral part of design and evaluation. Existing design and fabrication methods, as well as equipment, are adjusted to emphasize material aspects throughout the development, increasing the importance of material characterization and scalability evaluation. The reciprocity of material characterization and the fabrication process is highlighted and contributes to a non-linear, cyclical workflow. The implementation of extensions and adaptations are showcased in the development of the livMatS pavilion, a first attempt at coreless filament winding using natural material systems in architecture.
Open Access
Generative agent-based architectural design computation : behavioral strategies for integrating material, fabrication and construction characteristics in design processes
(Stuttgart : Institute for Computational Design and Construction, 2017) Baharlou, Ehsan; Menges, Achim (Prof.)
The aim of this thesis is to investigate the generative potential of agent-based systems for integrating material and fabrication characteristics into design processes. This generative agent-based system reflects the significance of behavioral strategies in computational design and construction. This work presents a generative behavioral approach for integrating fabrication processes with material specifications. The development of a computational framework facilitates this integration via an agent-based system. A series of experiments with related case studies emphasizes behavioral strategies within the processes of formation and materialization. This research proposes the integration of material and fabrication processes through an agent-based system. The utilization of this system reflects a theoretical framework in developing an integrative computational method. The implementation of this theoretical framework in practical studies demonstrates the applicability of this research. The practical developments highlight the importance of behavioral strategies to establish integral design computation. Chapter 1 introduces the extended behavioral strategies to integration design. Chapter 2 provides a study about integrative design computation to abstract the main drivers of design integration through agent-based modeling. Chapter 3 presents agent-based systems in architectural design, specifically, in regards to material, fabricational, and environmental principles. Chapter 4 explores experiments and case studies to adjust the development of a generative agent-based system for integrating material and fabrication characteristics in design processes. Chapter 5 explains procedures for setting-up a generative agent-based design computation. Chapter 6 discusses the significance of behavioral strategies to develop different behavioral layers within a generative agent-based architectural design. Chapter 7 concludes the integral behavioral strategies by proposing trends to minimize the gap between formation and materialization through coalescing computational and physical agent-based systems.
Open Access
Granular architectures : granular materials as "designer matter" in architecture
(Stuttgart : Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart, 2020) Dierichs, Karola; Menges, Achim (Prof.)
The thesis investigates designed granular materials in architecture. Granular materials are defined as high numbers of particles larger than a micrometre, between which mainly short-range repulsive contact forces are acting. In a designed granular material the geometry and material of the individual particle are determined by a designer. Consequently, the overall granular material can have characteristics which are novel in comparison to non-designed granular materials. In architecture, designed granular materials are understood to have new characteristics which fulfil specific architectural performance criteria. The relevance of designed granular materials in architecture is threefold. All granular materials are both fully recyclable and reconfigurable due to the fact that the individual particles are in no way bound to each other. These first two aspects alone make any granular material, whether it is designed or not, a highly pertinent strand of architectural design research. However, designed granular materials, in addition to being recyclable and reconfigurable, bear the potential for the development of entirely novel material behaviours. In the context of architecture, designed granular materials can be considered as a form of "material systems", and more specifically as a sub-group of "aggregate systems". In the wider transdisciplinary context, designed granular materials for architecture can be considered a form of "designer matter (DM)". "Designer matter (DM)" is understood as matter which is designed in its structural characteristics at its mesoscale rather than its macro- or its microscale. The current state of research into designed granular materials is presented for both architecture and granular physics, on a conceptual as well as on a project-based level. In this context the thesis aims to establish and validate a first version of a comprehensive design system for exploring designed granular materials in architecture and for interfacing with granular physics. The research development of this thesis is presented and evaluated with respect to the practical, methodological and conceptual foundations which have been laid during this phase. The methods are introduced in terms of methodological frameworks, tools and techniques and the applied research methodology. The core part of the thesis comprises a design system with a related design system catalogue as well as two case studies. The design system is established for particle systems and for related construction systems. It formulates the basic system categories and corresponding parameters. The design system catalogue is presented in the appendix and summarizes tests which investigate individual aspects of the overall design system for particle and construction systems. Each of the two case studies explores the integration of a different set of design system categories. They were conducted both through full-scale prototypes and a related set of tests with statistical repetition. Case study 1 investigates vertical structures made from a designed granular material consisting of highly non-convex particles. Case study 2 combines two designed granular materials, one consisting of convex particles and the other of highly non-convex particles, in order to form spatial enclosures. The case studies are evaluated with respect to their practical, methodological and conceptual contributions to architectural design research. The thesis is summarized and its contributions are assessed in conclusion both with respect to the field of architecture and for the field of granular physics. Further research in the field of designed granular materials in architecture can be conducted on the practical, methodological and conceptual levels of design. On the practical level, in the area of particle systems the investigation of graded granular materials, of different mechanical properties of the particles' material or of designed granular materials consisting of particles with variable geometry is highly promising. In the area of construction systems, the development of behavioural models of robotic construction is very relevant. Another key direction is for the construction systems to become increasingly simple, while the particles are progressively designed to perform parts of the construction process by themselves. On the methodological level, the integration of "inverse" design methods is the logical next step. This can be done on the basis of the proposed design system. On the conceptual level, the framework of "designer matter (DM)" needs to be further established both as a transdisciplinary model and within the field of architecture. Only then can designed granular materials be fully discussed as one form of "designer matter (DM)" in architecture. Key to any further development of the overall research field is the integration of the two fields of architecture and granular physics.
Open Access
Material programming for 4D-printing : architected mesostructures for bioinspired self-shaping
(Stuttgart : Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart, 2024) Cheng, Tiffany; Menges, Achim (Prof.)
Material, structure, and function are tightly intertwined in nature. The movement of plants, for instance, is often encoded through the structuring of tissue materials, allowing plants to change shape over a range of spatial-temporal scales when powered by environmental stimuli. In contrast, the human practice of design and production relies on discrete parts for sensing, actuation, or control. Individual components are sourced worldwide to be assembled into complex systems that demand significant energy for operation. This divergence from nature's strategy is changing the climate and contributing to environmental degradation. This dissertation presents a bioinspired approach to design and fabrication as an alternative to conventional methods of making. The interplay of cellulosic materials, mesostructures, and adaptive response is managed through the developed computational fabrication framework, resulting in hygromorphic 4D-printed systems powered by the free-flowing moisture inputs of the environment. The framework is also generalizable to diverse materials and processes, as showcased through the upscaling of the methods to an industrial robot platform to construct self-shaping hybrid materials systems. Finally, the framework's applicability is proven through the transfer of design principles from biology to self-adjusting wearables for the body and weather-responsive facades for buildings. The presented material programming approach has wide-ranging potential across scales and disciplines, demonstrating that by harnessing biobased materials, material-efficient structures, and environmental input for energy, bioinspired 4D-printing can overcome the competing resources between nature and technology.