Light formwork for earthen monolithic shells

Abstract

The ongoing research in project Small scale robotic manufacturing for large scale buildings, developed through the Innochain network by Stephanie Chaltiel, is investigating how robotic fabrication enables construction of earthen monolithic shells in near future context. Introduction of small-scale robots (drones) into the building process revives building of earthen shells in general by minimising labour intensive tasks, leaving more time and budget for skilled work. By describing two case studies, the paper sheds light on robotic fabrication process and timeline of the construction, as well as constraints related to architectural and structural requirements according to usage of different lightweight formworks and drone deposition techniques. The paper discusses the role of pneumatic and wooden formwork, since the replacement of conventional scaffolding by use of flexible formwork is very interesting research subject [6, 7 and 8], enabling additional savings regarding the material, cost and time necessary for the construction. According to the results of case studies, the paper highlights key inferences to govern future physical experiments towards successful development of Bioshotcrete construction technique for earthen shells.