Reusable Augmented Concrete System: Accessible Method for Formwork Manufacturing through Holographic Guidance

Abstract

Reinforced concrete has been one of the essential materials for modern architecture for the last hundred years. Its use is entirely global, having been adopted by all cultures and styles since its invention in the late 19th century. Although its value is excellent due to its low cost, durability and adaptability, its environmental impact is significant, being, in fact, one of the most polluting industries in the world (Babor et al. 2009). This experimental project will research a more sustainable use of concrete, exploring a new form of reusable concrete formwork that will ideally reduce the CO2 footprint by removing wood waste in the casting process and replacing it with adaptable metal components. The modular part-based system for the concrete casting also attempts to simplify one of the current complexities for concrete construction, the Skilled-Labour shortage. (Yusoff et al. 2021). To mitigate this problem, the project also proposes using an Augmented Assembly logic for the casting parts to guide the ensemble and dismantle the formwork through an optimised algorithmic logic. The use of Augmented Reality as a replacement for traditional paper instructions will facilitate access to more workers to this construction art and potentially improve access to optimised use of concrete in developing communities with restricted building technological resources.