AM Envelope

Abstract

Not only in the medical, aviation and automotive industry, the Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes are being looked upon as increasingly important production processes. But also the construction industiy is realizing more and more the chances and opportunities, that open up with these technologies for different designs and new details. The investigation on the changes and impact of these new technologies to the design process and to the application in architecture and facade construction is focus of the research activities conducted by Dipl.-lng. Holger Strauss. The first extensive research project on this issue - "Influence of Additives Processes on the development of facade constructions" - was established 2008 in cooperation with the internationally operating company Kawneer-Alcoa in the research focus "ConstructionLab" at the Detmold School of Architecture and Interior Design. Focus of the project is initially on the efforts of evaluating possibilities for the production of facade components with AM processes to complement the standard products in system facades. The use of AM and high-tech CAD-CAM applications require a new kind of design. Not to design for production anymore, but to design for fimction - "Funktionales Konstruieren". The paper gives a brief overview of visions and applications of Additive Manufacturing in the field of architecture and facade construction. It shows ideas and results from conducted research projects and teachings at both, the Technical University of Delft, Netherlands, and at the University of Applied Sciences - Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe - in Detmold, Germany.