Knitting Architecture: Be Smart about Building Concrete Structures | Mariana Popescu | TEDxBucharest

Summary

This talk highlights the environmental impact of the building and construction industry, responsible for nearly 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The speaker explores how using innovative structural design and materials, such as knitted textiles for concrete formwork, can reduce waste, material use, and pollution. By integrating smart geometry and sustainable practices, the speaker demonstrates how to create efficient, lightweight structures with minimal environmental impact. The talk also discusses advancements in technology, showing how traditional construction methods can evolve for a more sustainable future in the face of growing global demands.

Takeaways

• 😀 Climate change is a serious issue, and the building and construction industry is responsible for almost 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• 😀 By 2050, the global population will increase by 2.1 billion, leading to greater demand for housing and infrastructure, which could result in more pollution and waste.
• 😀 Intelligent structural design, using optimized geometry, can significantly reduce material usage while maintaining strength and stability.
• 😀 Concrete is the most widely used building material but its traditional formwork systems are inefficient, requiring large amounts of waste and energy.
• 😀 Using lightweight textiles as formwork for concrete offers a more sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional wooden molds, reducing waste and material usage.
• 😀 Knitted textiles allow for the creation of complex 3D geometries directly in a single process, offering both structural strength and aesthetic flexibility.
• 😀 The process of creating textile formwork involves coating the textile with a thin layer of cement paste to make it strong enough for concrete casting.
• 😀 The first successful bridge prototype created with knitted textile formwork weighed only 200 kg, with the formwork itself weighing just 1 kg.
• 😀 The project progressed from small-scale prototypes to large architectural tests, such as the Nit Candela structure in Mexico City, which combined knitted textiles with concrete for a lightweight, efficient design.
• 😀 The construction of the Nit Candela structure in Mexico City showcased how knitted textiles could reduce formwork weight (only 25 kg) while supporting 5 tons of concrete, demonstrating efficiency and scalability.

Q & A

What is the most overlooked sector contributing to global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the speaker?

The building and construction industry is the most overlooked sector, accounting for almost 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2017.

Why is the building and construction industry expected to worsen its environmental impact by 2050?

By 2050, the global population is expected to increase by 2.1 billion people, leading to a rise in the demand for housing and infrastructure, which, if built in the same way as today, will cause more pollution, resource depletion, and waste.

What is the role of structural performance in architectural geometry as discussed in the script?

By intelligently integrating structural performance with architectural geometry, the amount of material needed for a structure can be reduced, leading to more sustainable and efficient buildings.

How does the speaker demonstrate the power of geometry in reducing material usage?

The speaker uses a simple piece of paper as an example. When flat, it can't hold much weight, but by adding curvature, it can support much more weight without using more material.

What are the challenges associated with building structures using complex geometries?

Complex geometries, while efficient in material use, are difficult to build with traditional techniques because they are intricate, non-repetitive, and challenging to mold with existing formwork methods.

Why is concrete a preferred material in construction when dealing with complex geometries?

Concrete is preferred because it is a versatile material that can be molded into virtually any shape, making it ideal for creating complex geometries in construction.

What is the traditional method of creating formwork in construction, and what are its limitations?

The traditional method of creating formwork involves extensive milling or carpentry to produce heavy molds, which require significant support and often result in a large amount of waste. This method has remained largely unchanged for centuries.

How can textiles, specifically knitted textiles, offer a more sustainable solution for formwork?

Knitted textiles are lightweight, require less support, and produce much less waste compared to traditional materials. They can also be used to create 3D geometries directly in a single process using existing machinery.

What was the role of the 'grandma' knitting machine in the research process?

'Grandma' was the initial knitting machine used in the research to produce a small bridge structure, which demonstrated the potential of using knitted textiles as formwork. Despite its limitations, it helped validate the idea before upgrading to an industrial machine.

What is the 'Nit Candela' project, and how does it showcase the potential of using knitted textiles in construction?

The 'Nit Candela' project was a structure built in Mexico City that used a knitted textile as part of its formwork. The project demonstrated how a lightweight textile (only 25 kg) could carry five tons of concrete and contribute to a larger, more sustainable construction project.

How does the use of knitted textiles in construction compare to traditional methods in terms of time and cost?

Using knitted textiles significantly reduces time and cost. For example, knitting a surface area that would have taken 750 hours to mill with traditional techniques only took 36 hours. The entire 'Nit Candela' project was completed in just three and a half months, a major time saving compared to traditional construction methods.

What makes the use of knitted textiles in construction a viable and sustainable solution for the future?

Knitted textiles are a viable solution because they are lightweight, reduce the need for support structures, minimize waste, and can be produced locally with existing machinery. These benefits make them an efficient and sustainable alternative to traditional formwork techniques in construction.