Sika and PERI invest in Zurich construction robots
The two construction specialists Sika and PERI are investing in the Zurich start-up Mesh. This is behind the world's first robot-supported technology for the production of complex reinforced concrete parts without formwork.
The Zug-based building materials manufacturer Sika and the German company PERI , which specializes in formwork and scaffolding technology, are investing in Mesh AG . The start-up is behind a new robotic technology for the construction industry. This can be used to produce steel grids for different concrete shapes based on a computer model. This makes it possible to construct buildings with unusual shapes efficiently and cost-effectively. Until now, such special lattice structures had to be manufactured by hand. According to a statement from PERI, Mesh technology is the first of its kind in the world.
The method is based on many years of research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ( ETH ), from which Mesh was spun off. In 2018, the Zurich researchers also successfully realized a curved concrete wall in NEST, the modular research and innovation building of the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Research and Testing ( Empa ) in Dübendorf ZH. In cooperation with PERI and Sika, the technology has been transferred to an industrial construction process since 2019. Mesh AG was founded only recently.
"Through our cooperation with Mesh AG and PERI, a new type of construction method is being established on the market that enables the production of complex geometries and is more cost-effective than conventional methods," said Philippe Jost, Head Construction Sika, in the press release. The entire construction industry benefits from this.