Relaxed Vault: Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Meets Kuka Robotic Arm

Exploring the use of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete blocks as a building material while leveraging the use of robotic work flows to construct formal tectonics of thin shell vaulting structures.

Formal investigation was conducted through a dynamic relaxations physics program developed by Dave Pigram and Wesley McGee. A process which produces forms based on the ideal path to transfer loads in pure tension or compression. The form finding method intrinsically produce forms in ideal situation and a series of test and deviation from the ideal form is required to proceed into the construction phase and the planarization of the totality of the form.

Fabricating each unit uses the capacity of a seven axis robotically controlled abrasive water jet cuter to cut each ruled surface on each block.

Collaboration:
Fausto Xavier Teran
Ryan Shaban
Lauren Vasey