Circular Concrete Construction Through Additive FDM Formwork

One of the major downsides of concrete construction is the difficulty to be adapted, modified and deconstructed. In this work, we look at the potential enabled by the use of Additive Formwork based on Fused Deposition Modelling, in order to design and manufacture structural elements which can be assembled and disassembled easily. We call this new typology of structures Circular Concrete Construction. The paper illustrates an integrated computational workflow, which encompasses design and fabrication. Technological aspects of the 3D printed formwork and its application in reversible node and strut connections are described, with reference to the material and structural aspects, as well as prototyping experiments. The work is a proof of concept that opens perspectives for a new type of reversible concrete construction.