Introduction

This thesis takes a closer look at concrete construction in the modern area and, more specifically, the use of formwork to shape the built environment.

Traditional rigid concrete formwork has been optimized for buildability while serving structural needs. This mentality means simple prismatic elements that are entirely overbuilt for the task, stacked on top or next to one another. The idea that these elements are the peak of efficiency in concrete production has informed virtually all modern concrete construction. Any shapes that vary from the simple prismatic volumes are seen as challenging to build and expensive. For the most part, this is true if traditional methods of constructing formwork are used to create those shapes, but what if that did not have to be the case?

Over the last 100 years, several alternative methods of building formwork have been suggested, but almost all of them have stayed almost entirely in the academic realm. The major categories of these technologies include flexible formwork, such as fabrics; Folding formwork, using materials such as fiberglass; 3D printing formwork, using plastics; and even Knitted formwork. The major challenge that most of these technologies face is that they only propose formwork to replace select elements needed to construct a building, and this leads to a strange mix of architectural languages that is not desirable. Even if they include multiple elements, they often use vastly different systems and materials to create the framework, making them not viable at larger building scales.

The objective is to define an architectural language for concrete structures that will introduce a new design for formwork systems as well as explore solutions to minimize the use of reinforcement without sacrificing structural integrity. The goals are to evaluate the new design strategies and computational tools so that they can seamlessly integrate architectural forms with structural needs. Based on previous research, this approach could lead to an approximately 40% reduction in concrete usage, dramatically affecting the sustainability of such a building. In order to achieve these results, individual structural elements and their formwork systems will be analyzed and evaluated for their strengths and weaknesses, followed by an investigation of how these different systems can be combined into one unified language using one type of formwork.