ROBOWTIE is a multi-material building system prototypically developed within the Master’s Studio Hyperbody’s Multimod 1:1 Studio at TUDelft. The modular building system is designed to create a structural segmented shell that meets the structural and functional demands of a compact multimodal (reconfigurable depending on functional needs) apartment. The space combines in just 50 square meters all the quality of life and functionality one would benefit from in double that space.
The shell’s design and fabrication were highly coordinated to allow users to perform multiple activities simultaneously. Produced for mass customization, the prototypical apartment illustrates the possibilities of individualization and functional specificity at no economical disadvantage compared to mass production.
ROBOWTIE is a multi-material modular system, robotically fabricated to include materialization and assembly logic.
The compression-only structure is part concrete (robotically diamond-wire cut), part coated EPS100.
EPS was chosen for its lightweight, formability, 85% recyclability and low price. These material features lead to a system that has good compressive capacity and a high insulation index for a sustainable energy consumption. The system was designed for dry assembly with all components tagged and fitting, like a 3D puzzle to interlock and gain structural stability.
The constitutive components’ form was generated from two topologically similar but geometrically distinct boundary conditions: a hexagon and its inverted shape, a polygon with two distinctive concavities, “a bowtie”, hence the name of the project.
The system features two degrees of discretization correspondent to assembly logic. Initially, because of fabrication setup size constraints, components are split in two parts. After fabrication, the two sub-components are merged by gluing, the resulting component is coated for added friction and puncture resistance. When assembled, the components interlock into a stable assembly.
Students
Serban Bodea, Ana Anton, Elisabeth Travlou, Evita Pronk, Karolos Michailidis, Matthew Tanti, Qiushi Wu, Vasiliki Koliaki
Tutors
Prof. Kas Oosterhuis, Director Hyperbody TUDelft,
Dr. Ing. Henriette Bier, Dr. Ing. Nimish Biloria, Phd. Cand. Arch. Jelle Feringa