Nine ways ETH scientists are evolving architecture

Cast metal is a common feature in architecture, both as an aesthetic feature and a structural one. However, the amount of manual labour involved means that it is often prohibitively expensive. ETH Zurich students created the first metal facade to be cast in a 3D-printed mould, unlocking a faster and cheaper way to manufacture complex forms for custom architecture.

Mycelium, the vegitative part of a fungus, which grows into complex structures such as mushrooms, can be used to create all kinds of materials, from packaging materials that could replace plastics, to building materials. Researchers at ETH Zurich have demonstrated how it can form self-supporting, tree-like structures, that could one day support a two-storey building.

Created by Digital Fabrication students at ETH Zurich, the shingled timber pavilion created for the Zurich Design Biennale is the world's first two-storey wooden pavilion to be built using robots. The robotic processes were designed to cope with unknown material dimensions and quality but still produce a workable structure while limiting material waste.

A canoe might not seem like an obvious step in developing new architectural techniques, but the ETH Zurich vessel, designed for the Concrete Canoe Regatta, shows how 3D-printing can be used to create lightweight building components in almost any geometrical shape. The bone-like structure of the canoe, which weighed just 114kg, was optimised using algorithms and produced no material waste.

Another innovative technique for concrete construction is to 'knit' it, using yarn which is shaped by modelling balloons and then coated with cement paste to make it rigid. The technology was developed by ETH Zurich, in collaboration with Zaha Hadid Architects, and reduces the need for expensive and time-consuming moulds.

A four-metre-high installation, Rock Print was assembled by a robotic machine using nothing but rocks and thread, without any adhesive to hold them together. Though the core is very strong, the surface of the structure is actually quite fragile, reflecting the fact that it can be disassembled to leave the raw materials in their original state. The technique could find application in landscape architecture or in repurposing old buildings.

Designed to demonstrate how an understanding of compressive forces can allow buildings to be constructed more efficiently, the Armadillo Vault was built for the Venice Architecture Biennale, 2016. It uses 399 slabs of limestone, supported entirely through compression rather than glue. A landmark in stone engineering, the project shows how structures can be built with sustainable materials, rather than steel.

Another construction technique that uses computer modelling to ensure the minimal amount of materials are used, Spatial Timber Assemblies used several robots to build the framework of a modular house. Because the model can be constantly adjusted, this approach ensures closer ties between the design, planning and execution phases of a project.