Digital Bamboo Pavilion
2020
The Digital Bamboo Pavilion is designed by students of the Master in Advanced Studies in Architecture and Digital Fabrication 2019-2020 at
the ETH Zurich in collaboration with the Chair of Digital Building Technologies and the Chair of Structural Design.
The Digital Bamboo pavilion explores the innovative combination of a naturally grown material with digital fabrication. Bamboo is an
excellent
sustainable building material, because of its rapid growth and very low weight-to-strength ratio. Customized computational tools were
developed to
design the ultra-lightweight structure, whose bespoke connections were manufactured using 3D printing technology. The structure covers more
than 40
sqm with a total weight of only 200 kgs. The Digital Bamboo pavilion showcases a filigree and engaging architecture that surpasses the
standardized
space frame vocabulary.
The computational design allows the optimization and formal exploration of complex structures. The high-performance structure covers a large
area,
cantilevering almost 5 meters in three directions whilst requiring minimal support. The main load-bearing system is defined by a spatial
truss
reinforced by post-tensioned cables. The geometry of the pavilion, consisting of more than 900 bamboo elements, was form-found using
specifically
developed digital tools.
The bamboo elements are connected via a new system based on 3D printing technology. The generation of the connections was automated thanks to
a
digital process and developed to fulfil mechanical requirements. Their intricate geometry encapsulates necessary functions such as tolerances
for
assembly and bamboo inhomogeneities, connections to the shading panels, labelling, and cable fittings. In parallel, their volume is minimized
to
save time and cost. A hybrid strategy using MultiJet Fusion technology and Direct Metal Laser Sintering was used to manufacture the 380
bespoke
connections.
The shading panels of the pavilion are designed through a custom computational process and fabricated through add-on 3D printing of a
recyclable UV
resistant thermoplastic on a lightweight lycra textile. 3D printing stiffens and shapes the fabric into flexible bespoke panels. The
composite
elements are locally reinforced reducing the amount of material used.
The construction system developed for the Digital Bamboo pavilion aims to reduce the logistic efforts of construction while exploiting the
advantages of digital fabrication for a more sustainable building culture. Following the principle of distributed prefabrication, the
complexity of
the structure is encapsulated in small parts that can be fabricated all over the world using 3D printing. These custom parts can be used to
construct high-performance structures together with local materials.
Thanks to a modular construction scheme, the structure allows fast assembly and disassembly. The pre-assembled parts of the pavilion were
mounted
on-site in only 48 hours. Digital Bamboo offers a new paradigm for how digital fabrication can lead to a sustainable future in construction,
combining locally sourced materials with 3d printed parts to achieve new immersive architectural expression.
Teaching Team:
Marirena Kladeftira, Matthias Leschok, Eleni Skevaki, Yael Ifrah (Chair of Digital Building Technologies), Davide
Tanadini (Chair of Structural Design)
Support Structural Design:
Ole Ohlbrock, Pierluigi D’Acunto (Chair of Structural Design, ETH Zurich)
Students MAS ETH DFAB 2019-20:
M. P. Assaf, J. Baddad, F. Brisson, Y. Chiu, R. Clemente, I. Georgiou, M. Goto, A.
Johansson, L. Mangliar, D. Martinez Schulte, E. Morales Zuniga, F. Salehi Amiri, E. Sallin, I. Santosa, E. Sounigo,
C. Techathuvanun, P. Tsai
Partner on Additive Manufacturing: HS HI-TECH, Seoul, South Korea
Supporting Technicians:
Christian Egli, Tobias Hartmann, Michael Lyrenmann, Thomas Posur, Andrea Perissinotto, Andreas Reusser
Sponsoring and support:
Hewlett Packard, SGSolution AG, AF Fercher AG, Holcim, Abuma Gmbh, RapLab ETH Zurich
The pavilion in numbers:
- Dimensions: 9 x 9 m (footprint) x 5m height
- Total area: 40 sqm
- Total weight: 200kg
- On-site assembly time: 48h
- 930 bamboo poles with 20mm diameter
- 380 connections in PA12, 1 joint in 316L Stainless Steel
- 35 sqm of shading panels
For more information:
- Chair of Digital Building Technologies
- Master in Advanced Studies in Architecture and Digital Fabrication
last modified 24.10.2020
