Page 21 - Designing Ways 247

of the vaulted, rib-stiffened, unreinforced
concrete floors being developed by the
Block Research Group in partnership with
Holcim, Striatus proposes an alternative
to the standard inefficient floor slabs
within any building.
Compared to typical reinforced-
concrete flat floor slabs, this new floor
system uses only 30% of the volume of
concrete and just 10% of the amount of
steel. The very low stresses within the
funicular structure also enable the use
applied to each individual layer of data exchange between the various of low-embodied-carbon concrete that
every block (with 500 print layers domain-specific software toolchains incorporates high percentages of recycled
on average per block), ensuring involved in the process. This co- construction waste. Prefabricated and
that all blocks are as hollow and development approach was facilitated dry-assembled, and therefore fully
light as possible, and consequently through the use of COMPAS, an open- demountable and reusable, this floor
use the least amount of material source computational framework for system is easily and cleanly recyclable at
possible, while maintaining collaboration and research in the AEC end-of-life.
structural integrity under all loading industry, which enabled the fluent With an estimated 300 billion square
conditions. interaction among the key players of the metres of floor area to be constructed
• The resulting intricate cross- project, working together in five different worldwide over the next 30 years, and
sectional design has been processed countries, under a very tight schedule and floors comprising more than 40% of
into a single, continuous print path budget, at a time in which travelling was the weight of most high-rise buildings
meeting various criteria that include not possible. (10+ storeys), introducing the principles
appropriate print speed and turning demonstrated by Striatus would truly
radii, structurally required material Disruptive outlook disrupt the construction industry
width and thickness, and controlled Striatus offers a blueprint for building — transforming how we design and
expression of naturally occurring more with less. Created with the same construct our built environment to
printing artefacts. structural principles and a similar fully- address the defining challenges of our era.
integrated computational design-to- dw
A nuanced aspect of robotic 3DCP fabrication approach that form the basis www.striatusbridge.com
masonry is the re-introduction of
intelligence and highly skilled labour
into the manufacturing and construction
industry. The digitisation of fabrication
and digital augmentation of skilled
assembly and construction techniques
makes historically-accrued knowledge
accessible to younger generations and
enables its systematic upgrade towards
industrialised construction through
the use of computational and robotic
technologies. In stark contrast to a brute
force, and often materially wasteful
economy biased towards automation and
assembly line production, 3DCP masonry
introduces possibilities of a symbiotic
human-machine economy. This promises
an environmentally, socio-culturally and
economically sustainable alternative to its
20th-century predecessor.

Computational design-to-construction
integration
Integrating design, engineering,
fabrication and construction, Striatus
redefines conventional interdisciplinary
relations. The precise manufacturing of
the blocks was enabled by well-defined

dw • Issue 247 21