ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AS A FIELD OF EXPERIMENTATION FOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN: UPDATING THE ANCIENT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE OF RAMMED EARTH The main objective of this research is to innovate the self-construction sector through the technical and formal updating of traditional building techniques characterized by the use of viscous mixtures, particularly earth-based blends. The application of this material in architecture dates back to ancient times and has developed in parallel across all continents. The many interpretations of raw earth have led to different construction practices, resulting in four distinct techniques: adobe, bauge, cob (torchis), and rammed earth (pisé). Following the Industrial Revolution and the widespread adoption of concrete and steel, earth-based techniques were largely abandoned in industrialized countries. In the modern era, the ecological transition necessitates reducing the environmental impact of the construction sector, promoting the use of sustainable materials, and rekindling scientific interest in earthen architecture, leading to the updating of earthen construction techniques. Rauch and Heringer speak of “Upscaling Earth,” referring to the potential to advance this construction system. Rauch has automated the production of rammed earth by prefabricating earth blocks that can be stacked directly on site. Anna Heringer uses similar pisé techniques in the METI School in Bangladesh. The development of digital fabrication technologies—central to Industry 4.0—and parametric computational design opens new formal and constructional possibilities in the realm of earthen architecture, enabling the expansion of architectural design's formal domains. Numerous experiments and prototypes have been developed by leading research centers such as the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia and ETH Zurich through both direct and indirect additive manufacturing. This thesis project continues the research already conducted by the Fablab Poliba group in experimental construction using 3D printing to create formworks for innovative raw earth bricks. This approach is addressed in the thesis “Self Made Architecture VII”, which builds on the “Wood Beehive” prototype and a workshop held in Abruzzo in 2022, where a construction system combining earth techniques and FDM 3D printing was developed as a means of innovation. By writing a custom algorithm, a method was proposed for generating architectural forms. This lab will focus on the study of traditional construction and the updating of the pisé technique, exploring possible evolutions in architectural form. The main goal of the research is to define tools and methods in the field of digital fabrication to support innovation in self-construction, specifically through the application of additive manufacturing to the design of printed raw earth structures.
LA FABBRICAZIONE ADDITIVA COME CAMPO DI SPERIMENTAZIONE DEL PROGETTO DI SPERIMENTAZIONE DEL PROGETTO DI ARCHITETTURA: AGGIORNAMENTO DELL’ANTICA TECNICA COSTRUTTIVA DEL PISÈ LA RICERCA HA L’OBIETTIVO PRINCIPALE DI INNOVARE IL SETTORE DELL’AUTOCOSTRUZIONE ATTRAVERSO L’AGGIORNAMENTO TECNICO-FORMALE DI TECNICHE COSTRUTTIVE TRADIZIONALI CARATTERIZZATE DALL’IMPIEGO DI IMPASTI VISCOSI, IN PARTICOLARE MISCELE DI TERRA. L’APPLICAZIONE DI QUESTO MATERIALE NEL MONDO DELL’ARCHITETTURA HA ORIGINI PRIMORDIALI E UNO SVILUPPO PARALLELO IN TUTTI I CONTINENTI. LE MOLTEPLICI INTERPRETAZIONI DELLA TERRA CRUDA HANNO COMPORTATO DIVERSI APPROCCI DELLA PRATICA COSTRUTTIVA GENERANDO QUATTRO TECNICHE DISTINTE: L’ADOBE, IL BAUGE, IL TORCHIS E IL PISÈ. IN SEGUITO ALLA RIVOLUZIONE INDUSTRIALE E ALLA DIFFUSIONE DEL CALCESTRUZZO E DEL FERRO, LA TERRA È STATA ABBANDONATA NEI PAESI INDUSTRIALIZZATI.IN EPOCA MODERNA, LA TRANSIZIONE ECOLOGICA IMPONE LA NECESSITÀ DI LIMITARE L’IMPATTO AMBIENTALE NEL SETTORE DELLE COSTRUZIONI, PROMUOVENDO L’USO DI MATERIALI SOSTENIBILI E PORTANDO IN AUGE L’INTERESSE SCIENTIFICO NEI CONFRONTI DI QUESTO ELEMENTO E GENERANDO UN AGGIORNAMENTO DELLE TECNICHE COSTRUTTIVE IN TERRA. RAUCH ED HERINGER PARLANO DI ‘UPSCALING EARTH’, OSSIA DELLA POSSIBILITÀ DI FAR AVANZARE QUESTO SISTEMA DI COSTRUZIONE. RAUCH HA AUTOMATIZZATO LA PRODUZIONE DEL PISÈ PER PREFABBRICARE BLOCCHI DI TERRA DA IMPILARE DIRETTAMENTE IN FASE DI POSA IN OPERA. ANNA HERINGER IMPIEGA IL PISÈ CON TECNICHE SIMILI NELLA METI SCHOOL IN BANGLADESH. LO SVILUPPO DELLE TECNOLOGIE DI FABBRICAZIONE DIGITALE, EPICENTRO DELL’INDUSTRIA 4.0, E DELLA PROGETTAZIONE COMPUTAZIONALE PARAMETRICA APRONO NUOVI SCENARI FORMALI E COSTRUTTIVI ANCHE NEL MONDO DELLE COSTRUZIONI IN TERRA CONSENTENDO DI ESPANDERE I DOMINI FORMALI DEL PROGETTO ARCHITETTONICO. NUMEROSI SONO LE SPERIMENTAZIONI E I PROTOTIPI COSTRUITI DAI PRINCIPALI CENTRI DI RICERCA COME L’INSITUTE OF ADVANCED ARCHITECTURE OF CATALONIA E IL POLITECNICO FEDERALE DI ZURIGO ATTRAVERSO LA MANIFATTURA ADDITIVA DIRETTA E INDIRETTA. QUESTO PERCORSO DI TESI SI PONE IN CONTINUITÀ CON QUANTO GIÀ SPERIMENTATO DAL GRUPPO DI RICERCA DEL FABLAB POLIBA IN COSTRUZIONI SPERIMENTALI DOVE SI UTILIZZA LA STAMPA 3D PER OTTENERE CASSAFORME PER MATTONI IN TERRA CRUDA DI FORMA INNOVATIVA. È QUANTO AFFRONTATO NELLA TESI DI LAUREA “SELF MADE ARCHITECTURE VII”, BASANDOSI SU QUANTO SVILUPPATO CON IL PROTOTIPO “WOOD BEEHIVE” E DURANTE UN WORKSHOP TENUTOSI IN ABRUZZO NEL 2022, DOVE È STATO MESSO A PUNTO UN SISTEMA COSTRUTTIVO CHE FONDE LE TECNICHE IN TERRA CON LA STAMPA 3D IN FDM COME SUPPORTO ALL’INNOVAZIONE. MEDIANTE LA SCRITTURA DI UN ALGORITMO, È STATO IPOTIZZATO UN METODO PER DETERMINARE FORME ARCHITETTONICHE. QUESTO LABORATORIO SI CONCENTRERÀ SULLO STUDIO DELLE COSTRUZIONI TRADIZIONALI E SULL’AGGIORNAMENTO DELLA TECNICA DEL PISÈ INDAGANDO LE POSSIBILI EVOLUZIONI DELLA FORMA PROGETTUALE. OBIETTIVO PRINCIPALE DELLA RICERCA SARÀ DETERMINARE STRUMENTI E METODI NELL'AMBITO DELLA FABBRICAZIONE DIGITALE A SUPPORTO DELL'INNOVAZIONE NEL SETTORE DELL'AUTOCOSTRUZIONE CON RIFERIMENTO ALLA MANIFATTURA ADDITIVA APPLICATA AL PROGETTO IN TERRA CRUDA STAMPATA.
“SELF MADE ARCHITECTURE VIII: LA FABBRICAZIONE ADDITIVA COME CAMPO DI SPERIMENTAZIONE DEL PROGETTO DI SPERIMENTAZIONE DEL PROGETTO DI ARCHITETTURA: AGGIORNAMENTO DELL’ANTICA TECNICA COSTRUTTIVA DEL PISÈ”
GAGLIARDI, GRAZIA
2024/2025
Abstract
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AS A FIELD OF EXPERIMENTATION FOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN: UPDATING THE ANCIENT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE OF RAMMED EARTH The main objective of this research is to innovate the self-construction sector through the technical and formal updating of traditional building techniques characterized by the use of viscous mixtures, particularly earth-based blends. The application of this material in architecture dates back to ancient times and has developed in parallel across all continents. The many interpretations of raw earth have led to different construction practices, resulting in four distinct techniques: adobe, bauge, cob (torchis), and rammed earth (pisé). Following the Industrial Revolution and the widespread adoption of concrete and steel, earth-based techniques were largely abandoned in industrialized countries. In the modern era, the ecological transition necessitates reducing the environmental impact of the construction sector, promoting the use of sustainable materials, and rekindling scientific interest in earthen architecture, leading to the updating of earthen construction techniques. Rauch and Heringer speak of “Upscaling Earth,” referring to the potential to advance this construction system. Rauch has automated the production of rammed earth by prefabricating earth blocks that can be stacked directly on site. Anna Heringer uses similar pisé techniques in the METI School in Bangladesh. The development of digital fabrication technologies—central to Industry 4.0—and parametric computational design opens new formal and constructional possibilities in the realm of earthen architecture, enabling the expansion of architectural design's formal domains. Numerous experiments and prototypes have been developed by leading research centers such as the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia and ETH Zurich through both direct and indirect additive manufacturing. This thesis project continues the research already conducted by the Fablab Poliba group in experimental construction using 3D printing to create formworks for innovative raw earth bricks. This approach is addressed in the thesis “Self Made Architecture VII”, which builds on the “Wood Beehive” prototype and a workshop held in Abruzzo in 2022, where a construction system combining earth techniques and FDM 3D printing was developed as a means of innovation. By writing a custom algorithm, a method was proposed for generating architectural forms. This lab will focus on the study of traditional construction and the updating of the pisé technique, exploring possible evolutions in architectural form. The main goal of the research is to define tools and methods in the field of digital fabrication to support innovation in self-construction, specifically through the application of additive manufacturing to the design of printed raw earth structures.I documenti in UNITESI sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14253/109451