Curved, freeform buildings are admired for their expression, but they are expensive and wasteful to build. Every curved panel is unique and needs its own mould or cutting plan. Much of the material ends up as offcuts, and odd-shaped parts take up a lot of space during transport and storage.
STACK starts from a simple geometric idea: a curved surface can also be seen as a volume. If the parts of a surface are designed to fit on top of each other, like the pages of a book, they can be cut from a single block with little waste, shipped as compact stacks, and laid out again on site as the finished surface.
The project develops the mathematics behind this idea, which we call stackability, together with the theory of elastic curves (3D elastica) used in robotic hot-wire and hot-blade cutting. The results become design software that architects and engineers can use in tools they already know, such as Rhino/Grasshopper. The methods are tested in SINTEF’s robotics laboratory and in physical prototypes and demonstrators developed with ZHA.
SINTEF coordinates STACK and leads the work on geometry, software development, digital fabrication and logistics. The research is carried out by the Geometry and Robotics and Control groups at SINTEF Digital. STACK is part of the EIC DigiTrio portfolio on digitalisation in architecture, engineering and construction.
Follow the project at stack-project.com and on LinkedIn.
