A Unique Landmark Built from Self-Shaping Wood Remstal Gartenschau 2019, Urbach, Germany
The Urbach Tower is a unique wood structure. The design of the tower emerges from a new self-shaping process of the curved wood components. This pioneering development constitutes a paradigm shift in timber manufacturing from elaborate and energy-intensive mechanical forming processes that require heavy machinery to a process where the material shapes entirely by itself. This shape change is driven only by the wood’s characteristic shrinking during a decrease of moisture content. Components for the 14 m tall tower are designed and manufactured in a flat state and transform autonomously into the final, programmed curved shapes during industry-standard technical drying. This opens up new and unexpected architectural possibilities for high performance and elegant structures, using a sustainable, renewable, and locally sourced building material. The Urbach Tower constitutes the very first structure worldwide made from self-shaped, building-scale components. It not only showcases this innovative manufacturing approach and resultant novel timber structure; it also intensifies the visitors’ spatial involvement and landscape experience by providing a striking landmark building for the City of Urbach’s contribution to the Remstal Gartenschau 2019.
You can find more information on the IntCDC website.
There is a real need, urgency but also opportunity to rethink design and construction in a comprehensive manner, as we can simply not afford to continue building in the way we do now. The lack of digitisation in construction, and the related lack of productivity, together with the significant lack of sustainability can be summarized as a serious innovation shortcoming in the building sector. However, advancing building construction is a complex task and requires profound new methods, as architecture and construction differs substantially from other industries, due to the site-, culture- and context specificity and one-off character of buildings.
Integrative Research Approach: Co-Design of Methods, Processes, Systems, Cross-Sectoral Topics, Demonstrators
A major obstacle for innovation in architecture and the building sector is the compartementalised nature of research on digital technologies, which separately addresses either the area of design and engineering methods, or fabrication and construction processes, or material and building systems. In order to explore the full potential of computation for ground-breaking advancement, it is vital to adopt an integrative research approach that innovates across all these areas simultaneously. The goal is to develop an overarching methodology of “co-design” of methods, processes and systems, cross-sectoral socio-cultural studies and building demonstrators.
The research approach includes the development of truly integrative computational design and engineering methods, robotic cyber-physical fabrication and construction processes, genuinely digital, next-generation material and building systems and the cross-sectoral critical reflection of integrative and sustainable innovation. The demonstrators enable a rapid turn from visionary research to architectural application.
digitize wood is based at the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC at the University of Stuttgart and is funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection (MLR) as part of the BW Timber Construction Initiative.
