Summary

The UE Argamassa Armada will develop prototypes of structural elements in textile reinforced concrete (TRC) that allow the continuation of the TRC prototype pavilion started at EPFL Fribourg in 2019. The UE will take place in the Blue Factory in Fribourg.

Content

Keywords

Textile reinforced concrete (TRC), construction, technological innovation, knowledge transfer, interdisciplinarity

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Design a structural element / system in textile reinforced concrete
• Construct an innovative formwork system in folded metal
• Dimension a structural element in textile reinforced concrete
• Test structural and material limits

Transversal skills

• Resolve conflicts in ways that are productive for the task and the people concerned.
• Continue to work through difficulties or initial failure to find optimal solutions.
• Communicate effectively with professionals from other disciplines.
• Communicate effectively, being understood, including across different languages and cultures.

Teaching methods

Work will take place in an atelier format, trough drawing, 1:1 testing and collaborative discussions. It will be supported by lectures.

Expected student activities

Students will need to understand and go through the complete process of analysis, conception, execution and testing:

1. Conceptual design of a structural element 
2. Conception and construction of formwork in folded metal 
3. Placement of textile reinforcement in the formwork
4. Casting of concrete, unmolding
5. Scientific protocol of the technical information and functional layout of the element and casting process
6. Measuring of resistance and ductility in the IBETON laboratory

Assessment methods

Ongoing evaluation; students will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

• ability to work in drawing and 1:1 construction;
• capacity to use testing as a means of advancing an architectural and structural idea;
• collaboration (communication, team work, flexibility within different roles);
• engagement (participation, initiative, responsibility)

Supervision

Resources

Bibliography

Selected Readings 

Cruz Prieto, Fabio: De l’observation. Vina del mar: Inéditos, 1993.

De Oliveira, Olivia: L’architecture brésilienne sous les projecteurs. L’ARCHITECTURE D’AUJOURD’HUI 396 72-77.

Ekerman, Sergio Kopinski. L’œuvre multiforme de Lelé. L’ARCHITECTURE D’AUJOURD’HUI 396 64-71.

Farias, Bruno Fialho; Netsch, Stefan. Die Methode Lelé. BAUWELT 5.14 26-31.

Kaltenbach, Frank. From tradition to Tourist Attraction - Prefabrication in the Timber Construction of the Dong People. DETAIL 6/2012 594-598

Kulas, C: Actual applications and potential textile-reinforced concrete. Solidian GmbH, Germany, GRC 2015.

Segawa, Hugo; Lima Guimaraes; Ana Gabriela. Lelé: le créateur, le constructor, lecontext. LE VISITEUR 14 / 2009 68-84

Serapião, Fernando: Fragments of a Lover’s Discourse - Brazilian Architecture and Reinforced Concrete. DETAIL 6/2014 546-554.

Olmos, Susana Acosta; Cordiviola, Chango; Ekerman, Sergio Kopinski: L’humain au cœur de la fabrique architecturale. L’ARCHITECTURE D’AUJOURD’HUI 396 52-63.

Rice, Peter: An Engineer Imagines, Artemis 1994

Schittich, Christian: Prefabrication- High- Tech and Manual Production. DETAIL 6/2012 588-598 

Wilson, Colin St. John: The sacred buildings and the sacred sites. OASE 45-46 / 1997 64-87

Websites

• https://www.epfl.ch/schools/enac/education/design-together-en/enac-summer-workshops/a-prototype-pavillon-in-textile-reinforced-concrete/
• https://actu.epfl.ch/news/epfl-students-push-the-boundaries-of-concrete-engi/