Nine ways ETH scientists are evolving architecture

by Shane Richmond, 9 January 2020

From 'knitted concrete' to self-supporting structures made from fungi, ETH scientists are pushing the boundaries of construction.

The need for innovative construction methods is developing into one of the challenges of the 21st Century. Increasing urbanisation could lead to more than 100 cities with populations of more than 5.5 million people by mid-century, and they will need places to live, work and relax. However, many established construction methods are unsustainable or environmentally damaging, so the question is how to support growth and protect the environment.

Scientists and architects have been exploring new materials, new construction methods and innovative technologies that might be able to help. Here are nine ways that ETH scientists are helping to shape the future. Each of these stories was originally published, in greater details in Dezeen.

1. Smart Slab

Concrete is bad for the environment, so ways to replace it or reduce its use are a priority for sustainability. The Smart Slab, one of the digital construction technologies shown-off in a robot-made house in Switzerland, is a promising solution. Computationally designed and 3D-printed, the Slab provides a ceiling that uses much less concrete than traditional methods and is less than half the weight of a typical roof of the same size.
The Smart Slab enhances the excellent structural properties of concrete with a radical new aesthetic enabled by the 3D-printed formwork. Image: ETH Zurich / Digital Building Technologies
Deep Facade explores the unique potential of 3D printing sand mould and casting metal for architecture. Image: ETH Zurich / Jetana Ruangjun

2. Deep facade

Cast metal is a common feature in architecture, both as an aesthetic feature and a structural one. However, the amount of manual labour involved means that it is often prohibitively expensive. ETH Zurich students created the first metal facade to be cast in a 3D-printed mould, unlocking a faster and cheaper way to manufacture complex forms for custom architecture.

3. Mushroom mycelium

Mycelium, the vegitative part of a fungus, which grows into complex structures such as mushrooms, can be used to create all kinds of materials, from packaging materials that could replace plastics, to building materials. Researchers at ETH Zurich have demonstrated how it can form self-supporting, tree-like structures, that could one day support a two-storey building.
MycoTree - Seoul Biennale for Architecture and Urbanism 2017 MycoTree is a spatial branching structure made out of load-bearing mycelium components. Image ETH Zurich / Carlina Teteris
The “Pavilion Project”, developed by eight students, used digital methods and technologies to realise a unique two-storey timber structure. Image: NCCR DFab / Kasia Jackowska

4. Shingled pavilion

Created by Digital Fabrication students at ETH Zurich, the shingled timber pavilion created for the Zurich Design Biennale is the world's first two-storey wooden pavilion to be built using robots. The robotic processes were designed to cope with unknown material dimensions and quality but still produce a workable structure while limiting material waste.

5. Concrete canoe

A canoe might not seem like an obvious step in developing new architectural techniques, but the ETH Zurich vessel, designed for the Concrete Canoe Regatta, shows how 3D-printing can be used to create lightweight building components in almost any geometrical shape. The bone-like structure of the canoe, which weighed just 114kg, was optimised using algorithms and produced no material waste.
The fibre reinforced concrete three dimensional skeleton of the canoe, designed through topology optimization algorithms. Image: ETH Zurich / Digital Building Technologies
KnitCandela - A flexibly formed thin concrete shell at MUAC, Mexico City, 2018. KnitCandela is a thin, sinuous concrete shell built on an ultra-lightweight knitted formwork that was carried from Switzerland to Mexico in a suitcase. Image: ETH Zurich / Philippe Block

6. Knitted concrete

Another innovative technique for concrete construction is to 'knit' it, using yarn which is shaped by modelling balloons and then coated with cement paste to make it rigid. The technology was developed by ETH Zurich, in collaboration with Zaha Hadid Architects, and reduces the need for expensive and time-consuming moulds.

7. Rock Print

A four-metre-high installation, Rock Print was assembled by a robotic machine using nothing but rocks and thread, without any adhesive to hold them together. Though the core is very strong, the surface of the structure is actually quite fragile, reflecting the fact that it can be disassembled to leave the raw materials in their original state. The technique could find application in landscape architecture or in repurposing old buildings.
Rock Print, Architectural installation at the Chicago Architecture Biennial 2015 from Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich and the Self-Assembly Lab, MIT. Image: ETH Zurich / Gramazio Kohler
The Armadillo Vault was the centrepiece of the "Beyond Bending" exhibition at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Alejandro Aravena, which was held in Venice, Italy, from May 28 to November 27, 2016. Image: ETH Zurich / Iwan Baan

8. Armadillo Vault

Designed to demonstrate how an understanding of compressive forces can allow buildings to be constructed more efficiently, the Armadillo Vault was built for the Venice Architecture Biennale, 2016. It uses 399 slabs of limestone, supported entirely through compression rather than glue. A landmark in stone engineering, the project shows how structures can be built with sustainable materials, rather than steel.

9. Spatial Timber Assemblies

Another construction technique that uses computer modelling to ensure the minimal amount of materials are used, Spatial Timber Assemblies used several robots to build the framework of a modular house. Because the model can be constantly adjusted, this approach ensures closer ties between the design, planning and execution phases of a project.
Spatial Timber Assemblies fabricated the load-bearing timber structure of the upper two stories of Digital Fabrication (DFAB) HOUSE. Image: ETH Zurich / Gramazio Kohler