Industrial PhD II – Fabric formed concrete/
Research - Industrial PhD project (2008-2011)
Fabric formwork for concrete structures – investigation of the architectural perspectives in the use of concrete.
Architect, Industrial PhD student Anne-Mette Manelius
Business partners: Contractor E. Pihl & Søn and schmidt hammer lassen architects
Fabric formed concrete
Tensioned sheets of woven textiles can be used as a flexible, strong and lightweight alternative to conventional methods of casting concrete. The method shows great perspectives regarding design and production of concrete structures. Application of the fabric formwork technology in the building industry is the theme of an ongoing industrial research programme. An interesting technical aspect is the fact that excess water and air bubbles filter through the porous woven fabric form. This lowers the water/cement ratio in the cured concrete surface and leaves it smooth and resistent to damage caused by a moist environment.
Concrete construction leaves traces of the building process imprinted in the concrete surface – of which materials the concrete was cast against. Frozen moments that are apparent from great Roman structural achievements milleniums ago to modernist architecture of the 1920s and up to today.
Fabric formed concrete is a new formwork technology which hold a number of untested perspectives regarding architectural expression, materiality, optimised structural design, production methods and a possible connection to existing practices and form systems. The aim of the programme is to investigate new fabric formwork technologies and methods as an alternative to conventional concrete formwork.
The research question
When combining advanced technologies concerning textiles and concrete in an industrialised, buildable context, how can architectural perspectives regarding structure, form and surface be met?
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