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Students at ETH zurich have used innovative technology to create an extremely lightweight pavilion using bamboo. The project demonstrates the possibilities of digital fabrication combined with natural construction materials such as bamboo — a rapidly renewable and high-​quality raw material. Bamboo can be compared with hardwood species, but due to its hollow core, is extremely light-​weight and elastic. It is for this reason that bamboo has been used for centuries in earthquake-​prone areas of Asia.

Visually reminiscent of the arch of a gothic cathedral, but based on state-​of-the-art technology, the digital bamboo pavilion was designed and built by ETH zurich students of the MAS in architecture and digital fabrication (masdfab).  The students used bamboo to create a pavilion weighing just 200 kilograms (440 lbs). Spreading in three directions to cover a total area of more than 40 square meters (430 square feet), its minimal supports contribute to the ethereal nature of the structure. This design-​to-fabrication process depends on digital technologies, using purpose-​made digital design tools to generate this ultralight yet complex structure in earthquake-​prone areas of Asia.

More than 900 bamboo poles have been connected through digitally designed joints and manufactured with sub-​millimetre accuracy in high-​strength nylon and stainless-​steel using 3D printing technologies. Digital fabrication enables all parts to be generated automatically and developed to meet all mechanical requirements. This included not only the complex geometry and structural specifications for each joint, but also the tolerances required for the non-​standard assembly of this natural material. Added to these connections are hinge plates, cables, and anchors — resulting in a total of 379 connections and a very large number of small parts.

The five-​meter-high (16 ft.) pavilion creates protective shade with precise and detailed textile panels that extend the intrinsic pattern of the structural elements. With this in mind, the students designed elements to be 3D printed using a recyclable, UV-​resistant, and malleable plastic onto a lightweight Lycra textile. 3D printing locally reinforces the base material, transforming it into bespoke resistant and flexible shading panels.

‘The construction system developed for this project aims to reduce the logistical effort in construction, demonstrating how advantages of digital fabrication contribute to a more sustainable building culture,’ explains marirena kladeftira, doctoral student at the chair of digital building technologies, who is researching the potential of 3D-​printed connections for innovative and sustainable space frame structures for architecture.

The team behind the project says that this approach could be used wherever bamboo is available and produced in a cost-​effective manner. Furthermore, the design-​to-construction process developed for the bamboo pavilion could even be applied to other materials. Thanks to the modular design, the structure can be assembled and disassembled extremely quickly.

The digital bamboo pavilion was assembled on-​site at the Zurich architecture centre (ZAZ) in just 48 hours in summer 2020, before being disassembled in the same short time. Though the project is no longer on exhibit at the ZAZ, the team hopes that it may soon go on tour including a prolonged stop at the ECC exhibition in Venice, in marinades’ gardens from may to October 2021.

Source: Design Boom

by Womble Bond Dickinson

The construction industry was quick to adapt and carry on working in 2020, but it continues to struggle with labour levels. And this is a problem that’s not going away any time soon as, due to Brexit and the new immigration system now in place, we are likely to see a reduction in the number of available EU national workers – workers which the industry has traditionally relied upon.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that up until now more than nine per cent of the UK construction industry workforce have been EU nationals, with that rising in London to account for 30 per cent of construction workers.

Many EU nationals have now returned to their home nations to be with family and to cut the cost of living. New immigration rules are set to be extremely challenging with regard to the sector’s recruitment process and migrant worker eligibility in 2021, meaning it is likely to be more difficult to get these workers back to the UK.

The impact is two-fold. An increased labour shortage could affect the ability of companies to deliver projects on time or to take on new work, and it’s likely that the cost of labour will go up, both in terms of wage levels and also taking additional costs of recruitment and training into account.

While it seems the construction sector is frequently calling for additional Government support to bridge the skills gap, there are some practical steps that employers and contractors themselves can take to mitigate the long-term risks.

Brexit-proof your recruitment process

The new UK points-based immigration system kicked in on 1 January 2021 and it’s highly likely that this will reduce the number of lower skilled workers coming to the UK. Increased bureaucracy, and lead times, around the new points-based immigration system will create delays in the short-term. Get your recruitment process Brexit-compatible by understanding and implementing new visa criteria and processes, and be prepared to factor longer recruitment lead times into project planning.

Keep up-to-date on Government guidance

It’s important to keep on top of the latest Government guidance on matters such as health and safety. Encourage consistent use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and ensure the team feels safe. This will not only encourage productivity and minimise absence due to sickness or injury, but is also likely to have a positive impact on staff retention in a competitive market place.

Reflect on lessons learned during the pandemic

Take time out to understand the lessons learned by the sector during the pandemic. Some construction companies have found that by carefully planning and reorganising their programmes and how some jobs are carried out, and by being more focused on critical path activities, work could still be carried out efficiently and effectively, even with fewer than normal workers on site.

The post-pandemic rise in technology take-up and use has changed the way manual roles are carried out too. For example, some companies are carrying out site inspections with drones, allowing for safer remote-working and more efficient processes. Drones are also being used for 3D modelling, volume measurement and topographical surveys, and are predicted to fulfil an essential role in construction companies of the future, from planning to build. This in itself means a new set of skills is now required for the industry.

Similarly, there has been increase in the use of offsite, modular construction during the pandemic, which again requires a development in design skills and logistics expertise.

Look to youth

Figures released by the Office of National Statistics in October 2019 show there were 334,332 skilled construction and building trade workers aged between 50 and 64 and 44,681 over 65 in the UK – most of whom will typically be expected to retire over the next 15 years.

Meanwhile, the industry is struggling to attract young people. This is not a new problem: in 2018 it was widely reported that construction had, for the first time, dropped out of the top 10 career choices for people aged 22-29. According to YouGov Omnibus research in 2015, only three per cent of young people aged between 18-24 have recently searched for a job in the construction industry.

Construction firms do still have the opportunity to take advantage of Government incentive payments for the hiring of new apprentices, though this scheme only applies to apprentices hired before March 31 2021.

Perhaps, then, it will fall to the construction industry itself to do more to appeal to young people, or the skills shortage might never be fully bridged and critical skills that need to be passed on to a new generation of workers could be lost.

Embrace equality, diversity and inclusion

It is also worth broadening the scope of which parts of society future workers could come from to help improve the number of workers and breadth of skills in the industry.

Women remain under-represented in construction: in Q2 2020, there were 1.9m men in the industry in the UK compared with 289,000 women. Research by Microsoft reveals that in the UK, girls have a five-year window between 11 and 16 when they are really interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) after which their interest drops.

The industry also under-employs BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) groups. Exact levels of BAME employment in construction vary according to different sources, though one report suggested around 7.4 per cent of construction workers identified as BAME.

Figures released by the Government’s Ethnicity Facts and Figures Service in 2020 took a different approach, and analysed the percentage of ethnic groups that work in each industry sector. While 7.7 per cent of surveyed White British people worked in construction, the figures were lower for Asian (3 per cent), Indian (3.8 per cent), Black (4 per cent) and Pakistani & Bangladeshi (2.5 per cent) groups in the UK.

With the UK’s pool of talent more diverse than ever, it is important that companies make a conscious shift towards diversifying their workforce now.

Become UK industry champions

The sector needs to inspire the workforce-of-the-future by engaging with schools, colleges, industry leaders and training bodies to shake up the traditional image of the construction site and wider construction industry. Apart from the digitalisation of the industry, the sector is encouraged to recruit younger generations and minority groups to help fulfil future skills needed.

About re:build Britain

There are significant challenges for the construction sector in 2021 – but huge opportunities as well. We have launched our re:build Britain campaign to help companies in a number of sectors to navigate the next year, and beyond, successfully. Our key focus sectors will include: construction, built environment, free ports, energy and connectivity & digitalisation.

The campaign is kicking off with construction. There are major risks presented by delay and disruption, including materials shortages, contract disputes and staff shortages, and we are here to help you avoid or mitigate those risks.

However, there are huge opportunities as well – construction will be the beating heart of any economic recovery. Throughout our re:build Britain campaign we will offering grounded and practical advice to make sure your business is in the best possible shape to prosper.

After examining delay and disruption, we will look at risk and regulation, commercial and city, people and skills, modern methods of construction, digitisation and future trends.

We have launched the campaign with an easy-to-read guide to mitigating the effects of delay and disruption, which you can download here.

Source: FE News

Contour Crafting’s 3D concrete printing technology. Image via CC Corp.

A project carried out by the Tsinghua University’s School of Architecture has successfully constructed a 3D printed concrete bookstore in Shanghai’s Wisdom Bay Innovation Park.

The bookstore is due to open to the public at the end of January, and was printed on-site in three weeks, project lead He Yuting told the Global Times.

The building, which will reportedly be China’s first 3D printed concrete bookstore, is the latest in a string of structures based at the innovation park that have been designed and built using additive manufacturing.

3D printing in Wisdom Bay

Built on the former site of a wool textile mill, the Wisdom Bay Innovation Park has been named Shanghia’s first popular science park. Here, more than 300 companies from across the globe engage in 3D printing, intelligent micro manufacturing, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) robotics projects. Wisdom Bay is also reportedly home to the world’s only 3D printing museum.

In 2019, a 26.3 meter-long and 3.6 meter-wide concrete bridge, hailed the world’s largest at the time, was completed and installed in the park. The project was also carried out by Tsinghua University, which 3D printed the concrete components in 450 hours.

Constructing the bookstore

The project team used “fiber concrete” as the 3D printing material to construct the bookstore in order to resist compression and earthquake effects. Equipped with an underfloor heating system, the building has a floor space of 30 square meters and is able to accommodate 15 people at any one time.

The team printed the structure in three parts. The main outer round wall was printed in-situ, while the roof and the remaining part of the outer wall were printed separately. Now that the printing of the bookstore has been completed, it will be decorated before opening to the public at the end of January.

A new chapter for concrete 3D printing

Concrete 3D printing is being increasingly utilized within the building and construction sector, in many cases providing a cheaper, faster, and low-waste alternative to conventional construction techniques. Optimizing the concrete printing process has been the subject of several recent and ongoing research projects, as has the development of new concrete compositions suitable for rapid additive manufacturing and innovative printing methods.

The US Governent’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has previously demonstrated the potential military applications of concrete 3D printing in partnership with Texas-based construction firm ICON, while concrete specialists QUIKRETE and Contour Crafting Corporation (CC Corp) have partnered for the automated construction of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings in Los Angeles using CC Corp’s concrete printing technology.

Facilities dedicated to the advancement of concrete 3D printing have also sprung up, including 3D concrete specialist Vertico’s new concrete printing facility in Eindhoven which is designed to accelerate its commercial and architectural building applications. Elsewhere, the American University in Dubai announced plans to establish a scientific research center for 3D printing concrete buildings in collaboration with Dubai-based 3D printing service bureau, 3DVinci Creations.

Source: 3D Printing Idustry

Shearwater Energy, which describes itself as a UK-based hybrid clean energy company, is developing a wind-small modular reactor and hydrogen production hybrid energy project in North Wales. Shearwater says it has selected the SMR (Small Modular Reactor) technology being developed by NuScale and has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US company to further collaboration in advancing the proposed project.

The project would provide 3 GWe of zero-carbon energy and is also expected to produce over 3 million kilograms of green hydrogen per year for use by the UK’s transport sector, “ensuring full utilisation of the energy produced”, Shearwater said. The company has submitted a proposal to the UK government and the devolved governments of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Under the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), Shearwater and NuScale will generally explore opportunities for the combined generation of nuclear power based on NuScale’s leading SMR technology, offshore wind energy and hydrogen production at sites in the UK, with a flagship opportunity being explored at Wylfa on Anglesey. As international renewable energy portfolios grow, this collaboration highlights the increasing momentum and need for more flexible and reliable low-carbon energy generation.

NuScale’s assessment of the UK supply chain concluded that more than 75% of the content of a NuScale plant could be sourced within the UK, Shearwater said.

“Combining low-carbon generating technologies enables us to achieve similar performance characteristics to large thermal plants without the high cost, long construction time and environmental legacy,” Shearwater CEO Simon Forster said.

“When fully developed, an SMR-wind plant at Wylfa will provide 3 GW of reliable, zero-carbon electricity at a fraction of the cost of a conventional nuclear power station with surplus energy generation focused on the production of hydrogen to support the transport sector’s transition to low-carbon fuels. Power generation at Wylfa could begin as early as 2027,” he said.

John Hopkins, chairman and CEO of NuScale Power, added in the same statement: “NuScale looks forward to demonstrating the innovative features of our SMR design, and how our load following capability is a perfect complement to Shearwater’s offshore wind project as the country seeks to meet its clean energy goals.”

The UK recently announced plans to expand offshore wind capacity by 2030 and invest in SMR development to meet net-zero carbon emissions goals by 2050.

A Shearwater-NuScale wind-nuclear energy system will provide reliable, load following power to overcome intermittency and grid stability issues, Shearwater said. Additionally, the green hydrogen it produces will support industry, transport, power and homes “providing a further opportunity for decarbonisation and affordable energy security”, it said.

In August last year, NuScale became the first SMR developer ever to receive design approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NuScale says that its first power company customer will be breaking ground in 2023 in the US state of Idaho.

Its SMR design – the NuScale Power Module – is a pressurised water reactor with all the components for steam generation and heat exchange incorporated into a single integrated unit. The company said in November last year that, following value engineering efforts using advanced testing and modelling tools, it had concluded that the unit could generate 77 MWe (gross) per module, or about 924 MWe for a 12-module power plant. The increased power output comes without any major changes to the NPM technology.

Source: World Nuclear News