2023 ACSA/AIA Intersections Research Conference:
MATERIAL ECONOMIES

Pervasive environmental and social crises necessitate the invention of new models for conceptualizing architecture. Longstanding modernist practice established an archetypal approach, one of ‘reductive unity’, wherein a theme or slogan acts as an umbrella, disciplining the design and its constituent concerns (form, materials, program, etc.). Subsequent challenges to this approach – by now equally conventional – aimed to reflect the ‘messy vitality’ of reality, yet routinely results in the formulaic expression of complexity as chaos, confusion, and a tangle of assigned conditions. Our question: can the emergent conditions and needs of a truly contemporary project help inform its expression, use, and cycle of life in more advantageous ways than the two positions above? How might we structure an a posteriori methodology that allows for flexible project-making alongside the changing conditions of buildings in time? In pursuit of a better paradigm for realizing architecture, our research lies at the intersection of social equity through community engagement, the adaptive enhancement of architecture & urban fabric, and sustainable practices centered on the salvage & re-use of materials and infrastructure. The current locus for our research is the city of Istanbul, a metropolitan region unique in its history and contemporary cultural and political context, and at the same time, representative of pervasive social, economic and environmental conditions in cities across the globe. Istanbul’s official population is 16 million, though the actual count exceeds 20 million people. This surplus is largely the result of political and sectarian violence beyond Türkiye’s borders that includes the millions of refugees who have fled decades of conflict and carnage in Syria and Afghanistan. Most have had to survive by submitting to Istanbul’s vast informal economy, and who opt to live in primitive conditions in the old city center in order to find ready work as scavengers and recyclers strategically foraging for cardboard, plastic, metals, and other materials. One such neighborhood is Unkapani, in the Fatih district of Istanbul’s historic center, which spreads beneath the shadow of architect Mimar Sinan’s majestic sixteenth century Suleymaniye Mosque. Unkapani mirrors districts throughout Istanbul composed of under-utilized and abandoned urban fabric, areas of unattended architectural ruins, threatened by rapacious development but still alive with street life and opportunities for place-based renewal. Our research aims to cross-pollinate strategies of grassroots community-powered urbanism with the specific potential of this area of Istanbul, to better understand and implement how design might enhance and sustain emergent collaboration among resident-entrepreneurs, community groups, and municipalities. This proposal examines Unkapani as a test bed for designing for and within this urban community. The project is undertaken by research and design faculty from Istanbul and the U.S. It will provide a synopsis of a recent week-long design workshop between Turkish and American architecture students. It will also sort through the architectural agents at play with the aim of better understanding material and waste systems; the means by which emergent immigrant populations have fostered their own economic sustenance, and how such activities sustain and shape the city.

In 2015, an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude struck Nepal damaging over one million homes.[i] While there has been a significant effort to rebuild the rural housing stock, only 38% of the homes in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal’s most populous urban center, have been rebuilt.[ii] The demand for new homes is escalating as the region is one of the world’s most rapidly urbanizing territories.[iii]  In the historic central areas of the towns and cities of the Kathmandu Valley, traditional houses are being replaced with concrete-framed structures with brick-infill. Vernacular construction techniques of masonry and brick are deemed too expensive, require skilled labor, and therefore are becoming obsolete. Land plots are often subdivided, reflecting changes of split ownership between siblings of old family homes that no longer want to live together,[iv] resulting in narrow, tall houses that are prone to future structural failure during an earthquake, and have low levels of natural light and ventilation. This paper advocates for an alternative housing typology that transitions away from current building practices to one that is more seismically resilient, more sustainable, harnesses opportunities to salvage materials, yet maintains affordability and so can be accessed by the majority of the population. The focus of the study is on the historic center of Dhulikhel, a satellite city that is 30km from Kathmandu. This settlement embodies many core issues present across many towns and villages within the entire valley. Through spatial analysis and interviews with key stakeholders involved in the reconstruction process, an understanding of the limitations of current construction practices and opportunities to develop alternative material strategies for building will be investigated. Based on these findings, an alternative housing typology is proposed that offers a different approach to house reconstruction. The prototype reduces the amount of concrete used in comparison to existing concrete-frame structures, and uses a lightweight, salvaged timber envelope in place of fired-brick walls. Traditional wooden windows are recycled and incorporated into the façade. A centralized core creates opportunities for different spatial organizations that address the new social demands of residents. By removing the need for perimeter foundations, the risk of seismic failure from neighboring buildings is also reduced. These approaches present a scalable model that represents a transition away from unsustainable and disaster-prone building practices into a more resilient and sustainable approach. Given the impending demand for new construction, and the adverse social and climatic effects of current building practices, there is a significant urgency to develop an alternative way to provide new homes.

As climate change increases global temperatures, the cooling demand in the world is anticipated to triple by 2050. New systems using minimal energy and lower operating costs could create affordable ways to reduce the grid strain of air conditioning in some of the hottest climates (Walecki, 2022). Ecologists and biologists have documented a 75% reduction in the biomass of flying insects over the past 30 years (Hallmann et al., 2017) and have written about the perilous situation. Anthropogenic impacts include intensive agricultural and forestry practices, habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change as causes (Cardoso et al., 2020). Since insects form an integral part of the food web, this research project seeks to combine evaporative cooling using biological elements with the critical consequence of creating microhabitats for smaller, vital ecosystem members using 3D-printed clay.  Clay has been considered for evaporative cooling due to its porous properties dating back to Ancient Egypt, 2500 BC, in Muscatese evaporative systems. This system combines a wooden screen, or mashrabiya, and a water-filled ceramic vessel to passively cool interior spaces. This system has been replicated more recently using irrigated 3D-printed ceramics with variable porosities (Gan et al., 2022; Rael et al., 2015). Past projects have integrated 3D-printed planter blocks to augment traditional bricks in new construction or replace existing blocks within walls (Rael et al., 2009). Since these blocks utilize additive manufacturing (AM), they can be fabricated in infinite designs and sizes. These blocks used selective laser sintering (SLS) AM of clay to create highly detailed designs. This AM method can be cost-prohibitive due to both machine and material costs. Therefore, fused deposition modeling (FDM) AM of clay paste has become a promising and affordable alternative. While experimenting with design iterations not all the printed material is fired (turning raw clay into ceramics), which allows the remaining material to be rehydrated and reused. Its recyclability makes it an excellent material for an iterative design process. Op.Architecture + Landscape PLLC (Scelsa, 2021) and Co-mida (Farinea, 2022) have investigated a series of clay 3D-printed blocks that house various flora and fauna, but this project is the first to combine evaporative cooling and the creation of an ecosystem.  This ongoing research explores the opportunities of a 3D-printed ceramic block system to support a vegetated microclimate within a semi-arid climate. The work focuses on multiple block typologies: evaporative cooling and the housing of flora and fauna. The present output of this research is an irrigated 3-square-foot vertical garden testing the viability of the system. The presentation will discuss the design process, current system, future iterations, reflect on the challenges, and results. The project outcome points to future research that could help preserve semi-arid ecosystems while cooling the space around them with limited embodied carbon. The next step for this research is the construction of a shade structure at a local elementary school. This project and accompanying workshops will allow the students to learn about arid ecosystems, evaporative cooling, architecture, and digital fabrication.

The theory of agential realism (first proposed by physicist-feminist-philosopher Karen Barad) posits that the material world and human agency are entangled in a dynamic relationship, constantly co-creating each other in ways that are “bound up with issues of responsibility and accountability.”1 By applying this theoretical framework to the realm of architecture, this paper explores ways in which designers and materials intra-act as co-constructing operatives. Beginning with the phenomenological analysis of various materials­– such as wood, glass, stone, and concrete- we come to understand their connection to human perception, cultural context, geography, and ecology. Then, drawing on Barad’s concept of intra-action, which emphasizes the inseparability of matter and meaning, this paper argues that building materials possess an inherent agency that can be perceived through their suchness or qualia. In acknowledging the agency of materials, architects not only engage in a more reciprocal relationship with them but also recognize the material world as an active participant in the co-creation of the built environment. Finally, through a somewhat literary lens, this investigation will consider the risks and rewards associated with animism and anthropomorphism in relation to architecture, including the ethical dimensions that arise from projecting human and/or life-like qualities onto buildings and their material parts.2 In conclusion, this paper illuminates the radical interplay between matter and meaning as a way to foster a deeper more empathetic understanding of buildings and their materials, including personalities,3 behavior, and attitude. This widely cross-disciplinary postulation contributes to the broader discourse on architectural materialism urging designers to embrace an agential perspective that transcends the human-centric paradigm and promotes more sustain-able and response-able built environments.

Humans, in an effort to make their environment more productive and accommodating have changed both the definition and composition of what is considered constructed ground. We have re-shaped it, re-constituted it, and re-organized it; by first using ourselves – our body – as a metric, and then others – animals, objects, machinery. Eventually, these transformations arrive to industry and consumer standards – universal metrics that subsume all differences and diversities. In a research seminar at [university], students engaged material definitions of terra firma as its site and program of inquiry. Through material-based, material-scaled mappings and experimental prototypes, students re-defined what we commonly refer to as constructed grounds – designing material profiles for its subsurface, surface, and super-surface. While a material’s past can be revealed, its future must be speculated upon, designed for, and enacted. The seminar explored both the hidden pasts and potential futures of material ecologies as an impetus for design inquiry and production. Students investigated past and current applications of materials in architecture, to expose and communicate their histories and to be equipped to design and fabricate alternative futures. Projects examined materials from human, non-human, and multi-species points of view, as parts and wholes, as systems and as composites. In doing so, students questioned the implications of emergent and future technologies, environmental and infrastructural developments, and cultural practices and innovations that contributed to the depletion of some materials and the surplus of others.  One central material inquiry for constructed grounds is concrete. Concrete is the most widely used construction material in existence. Each year worldwide the concrete industry uses 1.6 billion tons of cement, 10 billion tons of rock and sand, and 1 billion tons of water. Concrete’s popularity as a material derives from its many advantages; it is high strength, durable, stable, readily available, adaptable for numerous locations, and relatively low cost in terms of construction and maintenance. However, given our current global climate crisis, we cannot disregard the economic and environmental consequences of concrete. With combined sand shortages and a significant carbon footprint from cement production, the components we currently associate with concrete must begin to shift. This research investigated the material flows for cement and concrete composition by disrupting and integrating waste disposal from various mining and refining operations. We reclaimed and re-purposed the byproducts of these pollutive and energy-intensive processes by utilizing its waste, which would otherwise be discarded, to create a specialized, sustainable, and otherwise aesthetically intriguing product. In a series of material experiments, we used waste and recycled materials in substitution for conventional cement ingredients to find a signature composition that can be tested for functionality and strength and scaled for multiple architectural applications. Applying quenched slag as a geopolymer, a fine slag blend as a silicate, and recycled black plastic as a coarse aggregate, we established a new concrete solution – a blend that ideally optimizes the flows of various waste materials into a circular system and most importantly minimizes the environmental impacts that we currently face with standard concrete production.

In pursuit of design flexibility and calibrated material performance, architects are increasingly designing building elements made from fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composites (Bell and Buckley 2014). This material system offers intriguing formal, structural, and sustainable possibilities. Several recent experiments in FRP construction—such as the 2017 ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion—concentrate on inventive ways to place individual fibers, employing robotics to achieve material efficiency and reduce waste by eliminating molds (Felbrich et al. 2017). But is individual filament placement the only way to achieve material efficiency in FRP construction? Are methods that completely eliminate molds the only path to more sustainable composites construction? And, beyond flaunting fibrous surfaces, how else can FRP construction be tectonically expressive? Consisting of ongoing research and an initial built pavilion, the Hot.PET project explores these questions using recycled materials and large-scale thermoforming. The research combines hands-on prototyping and design intuition in the tradition of Charles and Ray Eames with advanced computational techniques for design, analysis, and production.  The research moves from small prototypes employing recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic—heated and formed over CNC’d plywood molds—to a full-scale outdoor construction assembled from three large “super-components”. Each component is a sandwich structure made from multiple recycled plastic elements stiffened with composites and bonded together with structural adhesives. Despite their large size, these components can be installed without heavy equipment, pointing to new opportunities for architectural construction made with lightweight elements.  The intent of this research is to develop composites fabrication methods that allow inviting architectural form, employ innovative molding and construction techniques, explore exuberant applications of fundamental structural principles, and incorporate recycled materials while reducing fabrication waste. Rather than concentrate on individual fiber placement, the research focuses on composites sandwich panel construction. This method typically consists of a core foam encased in FRP composites.  FRP sandwich panels can be flat or curved. For example, the Tex-Fab Plasticity Pavilion, completed in 2015, uses large, complexly-curved expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam elements wrapped in FRP (Brownell 2015). Creating the core foam shapes for curved construction typically involves a great deal of material waste since large blocks of foam must be CNC-milled to the desired profile. Additionally, most composites sandwich panels are made from non-recycled plastic foams like EPS and urethane.  The Hot.PET project addresses these issues by thermoforming curved parts from PET foam made from recycled bottles. When considering the problem of making dimensional parts from sheet material, historical examples are consulted. The first plywood chairs fabricated by the Eames—built with an experimental homemade molding machine known as the Kazam!—are particularly instructive (Neuhart 2010). This simple machine applies two fundamental elements required by many molding processes: heat and pressure. Our research takes these principles and applies them to recycled foam instead of plywood. After starting with small components heated in conventional ovens, the research team builds a large, custom oven capable of heating 4’x 8′ sheets of recycled PET foam board. Forming these over repositionable plywood molds, a full-scale pavilion is realized on a university campus to highlight the potential uses of recycled materials.

Climate transformations challenge the building industry to rethink the process of construction from extracting raw materials to building processes. Advances in design computation methods and manufacturing techniques provide new opportunities for architectural designers to consider new models for design and making. These models emphasize the materialization procedures. From an ecological point of view, rethinking on developing resilient building materials with low embodied energy can help sustain the built environment. Robotic additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, facilitates eco-friendly materials in buildings. This paper will present the potential of the integration of ecologically resilient materials (eco-resilient materials) and robotic 3D printing to explore novel tectonics and discuss the challenges of this complex integration.    Eco-resilient materials include materials with biodegradable and renewable characteristics, such as soil, salt, or cellulose-based materials. Enhancing the performance of these materials with biopolymers such as microorganism-based, plant-based, and animal-based constitutes a novel composite system. The composite features biodegradability and regenerative potential. As a biomaterial, this composite needs a custom-made fabrication system for scalability and efficiency. Robotic 3D printing with solid and quasi-solid materials requires understanding of the relationship between form, material characteristics, and robotic fabrication techniques. Through robotic 3D printing systems, such as paste-based printing, ink-based printing, and binder jet systems, we will discuss the applicability of eco-resilient composites in the construction industry against efficiency and cost-effectiveness.   One of the main concerns of creating eco-resilient materials derived from biopolymers is their ethics. Builders traditionally apply the food industry by-product waste as building materials, such as using rice husk, hemp, or straw to strengthen earthen materials and mitigate waste management. However, using materials considered food resources, such as corn starch, to develop biomaterials endangers food security. Considering this ethical concern, this paper will highlight the development of eco-resilient materials for robotic additive manufacturing. Through a series of case studies, this paper presents the emergence of novel tectonics formed by interplaying between materials and fabrication systems. Case studies include the application of proper additive manufacturing techniques to realize architectural elements with earth, salt, and cellulose-based materials. The aim is to highlight the difficulty and potential of 3D printing eco-resilient materials in reducing embodied energy of building industry.   Figure 1 shows the process of regenerative design, inspired by circular construction. Figure 2 presents three domes, in which the earth material is mixed with three different biopolymers. And Figure 3 shows the bond between layers. Another emergent tectonic applied on Figures 4-5, showing an ecological activated wall prototype of a single shell with greenery.

Over a billion people currently live in so-called “informal” settlements – vast cities of tarp, corrugated metal and broken concrete that are built without the formal input of planners, architects or other professionals.  Constructed of unsanctioned methods and materials, these extra-legal settlements have thrived within the crucible of modern urban development, growing at a pace and scale that far exceeds that of state-sanctioned urban areas (WHO, 2000). This is despite the fact that these settlements are disadvantaged in almost every way: underfunded, built on undesirable sites and overtly opposed by very powerful actors (UN-Habitat, 2010). Nevertheless, whether burned to the ground, demolished by rains or removed by government agencies, these settlements not only persist, but they expand. The secret to their impressive resiliency can be traced the unique manner by which the residents design, construct, and, when necessary, re-construct their environments. Operating effectively as bricoleurs, this vast army of citizen-builders uses acts of direct, hands-on experimentation to develop new potential within their pre-constrained inventory of resources, and create much-needed work (Lévi-Strauss, 1968). In their hands salvaged materials find new voice and unanticipated circumstances find quick address. This allows their work to embody a particularly profound version of circularity, leveraging, almost exclusively, the weight of materials already generated and deployed, rather than utilizing new assets and adding to this mass. From the standpoint of material practice, there is great wisdom here, even if it is generated through the constraints of environments that are objectively unsafe, unhealthy and unjust. Unfortunately, the embedded paternalism of architectural practice compels the professional to view these actions as mandates for colonialization, instead of opportunities for dialogue (Crawford, 1991). This is despite the clear shortcomings of the patronage-based approaches professed by the field, which have been proven to be exploitative, linear, and energy-intensive. The irony of this stance is quite poignant, as the very presence of these communities is a testament to the inefficiencies of these patterns of engagement  – a natural by-product of the patronage-based systems supported by the architect. Perhaps by reversing these flows of knowledge the architect might find a more useful, hybridized approach. After all, history has shown that neither practice works well in isolation: the linear, heavily-engineered approach of the architect tends toward exploitation and brittle, non-resilient work; the fluid, bricolage-based approach of the citizen-builder relies upon untested practices which generate unsafe environments.  To explore this premise, the paper proposed by this abstract will analyze five recently completed works in Africa, and the dialogical processes that support them. Designed by Ross Langdon, Local Works, Beau Mills, Indalo World and the International Design Clinic, the relative equitability of each work’s processes and outputs will be analyzed and compared against more commonly deployed patterns in the region (Images 01 and 02; Stake, 1995). Through these case studies, the paper will offer a grounded, evidence-based assessment as to the value of these projects in nurturing and sustaining ecosystems, and strengthen communities.

The wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has been marked by sharp increases in the cost of building materials and labor.1 Supply chain problems and labor shortages impacted construction of new residential buildings, exacerbating crises in housing availability and affordability that existed prior to the pandemic.2 The case study reported here is a multi-use Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (DADU), designed by one of the authors (also the owner-builder). The 110 m2 (1200 SF) project’s program includes a ground floor EV-ready single-car garage/workshop, with adjacent home office and three-quarter bath, and a 600 SF studio apartment on the second floor. Although the project site is in a relatively small university community rather than a large urban center, many of the housing challenges are similar, including median family home cost more than ten times median family income.3 By constructing the DADU on an existing lot with a late 19th century main dwelling, the project increased density and expanded housing availability and homeowner options in a desirable, walkable neighborhood near the city center.4 Although construction of the DADU coincided with peak pandemic-related material costs and labor shortages, costs were managed through extensive use of locally-sourced materials, as well as alternative construction methods including a shallow frost-protected slab-on-grade foundation, brace panels rather than full sheathing, and advanced framing techniques. Due to difficulties securing contractors, the project was constructed primarily with DIY and non-professional labor, yielding valuable insights regarding the practicality of an owner-built dwelling model, as well as selection of construction materials and methods best suited to use by novice builders. Cost effectiveness was achieved without compromising ambitious energy performance and decarbonization goals, demonstrating that providing more affordable dwellings can coexist with building decarbonization and use of grid-tied PV generation for net-zero energy performance.  This case study details the project’s design and construction methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative modeling used to optimize cost and performance parameters, and payback calculation. Tools and techniques discussed include: Sefaira energy modeling software (SketchUp plugin and web-based app); BEAM tool (web-based spreadsheet for calculating embodied and operational carbon impacts); APA brace-panel sheathing calculator (web-based app); custom spreadsheet tools developed by the owner-builder to optimize costs and materials performance around triple point criteria weighing material availability, low/no toxicity plus decarbonization, and adaptability for use by non-professional labor. The completed project has been fitted with a variety of sensors, and this ongoing occupation and performance monitoring data collection will lay the groundwork for future research and publication.

The advent of industrialization led to a shift in construction practices, making material salvage and reuse less prevalent. However, in today’s era of climate change and increasing waste generation, there is a growing recognition of the importance of rethinking material reuse and embracing circular economy principles. This presentation focuses on principles of reuse through a case study of a laboratory retrofit project, exploring the process, methodology, challenges, and lessons learned in the pursuit of material reuse from architects and contractors’ perspectives.   In Massachusetts alone, a staggering amount of construction waste, exceeding 5920,000 tons, was generated in 2020, per Mass EPA report (Department of Environmental Protection, 2022). Concurrently, research conducted by the Delta Institute reveals that approximately 25% of a typical house’s total material can be reused, with 70% possible for recycling (Delta Institute, 2018). This significant gap presents a compelling opportunity for collaboration among designers, contractors, and owners to explore and implement circular economy practices. Thus, the presentation aims to shed light on the potential for achieving a circular economy through adaptive reuse, deconstruction, and diversion of construction materials destined for landfill.   Key findings from our research and the case study highlight the feasibility and benefits of adaptive and material reuse, including the reduction of embodied carbon emissions and waste diversion from landfills. They form a potential framework for all stakeholders interested in reducing environmental impacts through reuse practices. The case study underscores the need for a paradigm shift in the design philosophy and construction practices, promoting a holistic approach while embracing circular economy principles. For example, targeting for Living Building Challenge material petal helped in making conscious design decisions. Our research findings show some critical aspects for better reuse implementation include time, cost, material inventory, early engagement across project teams, skilled labor, awareness of available resources, and reuse practices. Challenges such as reassembly of disassembled materials with varying quality, quantity, sizes, and market of deconstructed materials are also discussed. The insights gained from this study can inform future projects, inspiring stakeholders to adopt innovative practices that maximize the reuse of materials, minimize waste generation, and ultimately contribute to a more circular and sustainable construction sector.

This paper presents a novel approach to manufacturing dowel-laminated reclaimed timber sub-assemblies using automated scanning, algorithmic sorting, and CNC fabrication. With the global laminated timber market projected to grow by 14.1% by 2028, this method challenges traditional construction techniques and materials (Grandview research 2021). Wood composites and mass timber systems are gaining popularity due to their low embodied carbon, responding to the need for reducing the building industry’s carbon footprint. However, most engineered wood products rely on toxic adhesives and additives, raising environmental concerns (Munandar, 2019). Dowel Lamination Laminated Timber (DLT) offers a sustainable alternative by relying on friction-fit wooden dowels instead of harmful adhesives or resins (Sotaya, Bradley, Bather. 2020). This technique, commercially adopted in the past 25 years, enables the use of reclaimed dimensional lumber as lamella without the need for nails or adhesives, making it ideal for industrial CNC manufacturing operations. The city of Detroit faces a significant challenge with over 100,000 abandoned homes being demolished at a rate of 3,000 per year, resulting in substantial construction debris (Detroit Landbank Authority, 2020). Only 20% of this debris gets recycled or reused, contributing to increased carbon emissions (EPA. 2021). Local organizations like the Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit (ASW Detroit) advocate for deconstruction and material reclamation. Reclaimed dimensional lumber, particularly 2×4 and 2×6 elements, shows potential for reuse as they are readily available but underutilized. Existing research on mass timber applications involving reclaimed wood relies on extensive processing and adhesive resins for lamination. This study explores the viability of using reclaimed lumber in dowel-laminated assemblies. It examines the structural comparison between reclaimed and new timber members through break testing and analysis, investigates the possibility of aligning dowels with existing material defects for reinforcement, and explores the potential for scanning and cataloging wood defects to enable computational sorting. Through structural 3-point break analysis, reclaimed members were studied for their structural capacity and analyzed for common trends in breaking including existing nail holes, material defects, and knots in the wood. These defects were scanned using canny edge detection software to locate material defects and generate digital models of each piece of lumber. The catalog of lumber was then computationally sorted to align material defects and then insertion holes were drilled into the lumber in existing locations of material defects. Dowels were manually inserted into the lamella as a final step.  To maximize carbon sequestration, combining dowel lamination with reclaimed lumber offers a promising solution. Life cycle analysis demonstrates that manufacturing with reclaimed timber results in significantly lower energy consumption and carbon production compared to virgin wood (Bergman. 2010). This research seeks to validate the feasibility of utilizing reclaimed lumber in dowel-laminated assemblies and addresses key questions regarding structural performance, defect alignment, and computational sorting. The research resulted in a case study that deployed the dowel laminated timber into a bench, demonstrating a wall and slab connection. This system was then structurally tested.

To address the dire need for housing, this projects studies how to rapidly provide shelter using recycled timber and factory offcuts. Using industrial offcuts or remnants turns Waste into a Resource. Our project examines how building systems can adapt via modular elements designed for disassembly and reuse.  The objective is to shelter large numbers of people with available resources, using components that can be repurposed for permanent structures.  My teaching partner and I introduced sustainably designing with recycled wood to our Timber Tectonics course that concerns how technology is changing wood design, testing and construction. Our course shows how to use material properties, parametric design, structural analysis and fabrication to create beautiful and efficient structures.  After studying these topics using a flipped classroom format, students from two universities work in small, mostly remote, interdisciplinary teams on physical and digital design. Inspired by projects such as Wikihouse, and Veneer House, we are investigating in how notched wood-on-wood connections can facilitate easy assembly, disassembly and re-use without metal.  We introduced reciprocal frame structures to increase the spanning capabilities of short members. Originating as a solution to a shortage of long timbers, reciprocal frames are characterized by elements that bear on each other, as in the native American tepee or hogan (Larson 2008).  After our students examined historic examples, they were asked to design a pavilion using a list of available used Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) panels and Multiple Plywood Panels (MPP). We learned that working within a set of available scrap timber means optimizing part placement to reduce waste as well as planning for how different material properties can be best used.  Automated machining requirements need to be understood early for designs to be effectively produced. Simplicity rules: in deciding which project to produce, having few element types that are easily cut and assembled were paramount. A system with the greater aesthetic potential was nixed because its angled slots could not be efficiently programmed and cut. Collaborations enriches through complementary perspectives, and also flexibility for individuals take some individual ownership. One students’ reaction to the slow negotiation process was to individually cut all his team’s lacy pavilion components by hand from new dimensional lumber.  Overall, reciprocal frames are a promising method for extending recycled materials, so we plan to further research possibilities and constraints for rapid buildings. We will focus on overcoming digital and physical limitations encountered, such as developing efficient methods for digitally simulating the structural forces in intersecting planar components. For the first round we used more easily modeled linear members. Next, we will examine the creative possibilities of constraining our cuts to those perpendicular to the panel’s surface to simplify CNC cutting, which also allows lasercutting to generate accurate scale models.  Automating how parts can be matched to stock is a key to better utilization. Enclosure detailing needs to be consistent with the construction method and the material sustainability.