POST-ROBO (FABRIC) FORMED COLUMNS
This research project experimented with fabric formwork to exploit the inherent properties of the relationship between the plasticity of concrete and the rigid final, cured form. The notion of a column was questioned: how we could one deviate from the traditional surface qualities while still maintaining the structural capability? Essentially, the aim was to create concrete columns using the fabric to manipulate the promiscuity of the liquid concrete by pushing its elastic quality to the limit with the aid of robotic arms. Thus, creating a final, structural form, with an aesthetic quality which would be impossible to achieve through manual methods or any other type of formwork technique.
The process was as follows, cast a number of tubes within an expanding fabric, providing more length to exploit, and then utilize the robotic arms to twist these tubes around each other to create a thicker, structurally stable column.
The key component was to manipulate the formwork with the robotic arms to create a twisted system.
