ETH researchers build a dome from construction waste
Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) have created a building from construction waste. They wanted to find out to what extent digital tools and technologies can generate more sustainability in the construction sector.
A group of researchers from the Circular Engineering for Architecture Labs ( CEA ) at ETH have built a dome from construction waste. The aim of the project led by assistant professor Catherine De Wolf in the Department of Civil, Environment and Geomatics was to show the advantages of the circular economy and digitization for the construction industry, according to a press release .
In doing so, the scientists should go through the entire reuse cycle of building materials – from the dismantling work to the design of a new building and its construction. Before the demolition of a car warehouse in Geneva, they collected usable old components under the guidance of demolition specialists.
They stored and installed the parts on the Hönggerberg campus with the help of a self-programmed algorithm. This independently calculated the optimal geometry and dimensions of the wood supply in order to use it as efficiently as possible. “The aim was to design the computer program in such a way that it does not cut the largest bars into small pieces and leaves as few residues as possible,” doctoral student Matthew Gordon is quoted as saying in the press release.
The participants also saved information on each component, which was marked with a QR code, in a database. The idea of the prototype: Architects could find out “when which materials from demolition objects will be available and plan them in new buildings”.
Because in the project it turned out that the procurement of used components is one of the biggest challenges. “Ideally, the companies would be informed about demolition or dismantling as soon as possible, so that they can start looking for buyers for the materials right away,” De Wolf is quoted as saying in the press release. In fact, this often happens at short notice.