Roll-Locks: A Fabrication to Self-Assembly Design-Framework for Reusable Discrete Concrete Elements

Abstract

Roll-Lock is a research project in which building elements are informed for motion and future reuse. This paper gives technical insight into systematically investigating lightweight, hollow, and kinetic concrete elements’ geometrical and physical properties. The massive-looking yet lightweight, hollow, robotically materialized concrete elements are designed to join together, but not permanently. A single person can move and assemble them with their dry-joint, interlocking connection and charged center of mass (CoM) (Fig. 1). The elements are programmed for guided self-assembly, disassembly, and re-assembly through embedded geometrical and physical attributes (Fig. 2). The reconfiguration allows for a more circular approach and reuse of concrete elements in the architectural context. Furthermore, this research seeks to provide novel strategies to save building material resources by rotoforming (Tessmann and Mehdizadeh 2020), thereby minimizing material consumption and significantly reducing the weight of hollow concrete elements (Fig. 4).