Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington
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Green Meets Machine - Robotic Fabrication of Carbon-Negative Hempcrete

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posted on 2022-04-12, 19:37 authored by Frost, Ricky

Hempcrete is touted as a carbon-negative building material and can reduce the constructionindustry’s vast share of global carbon emissions. However, conventional hempcrete constructionis underutilised due to its laborious, time-consuming construction process. In response to theseissues, Green Meets Machine uses design science research to explore how robotic fabricationcan increase architectural expression in hempcrete construction while maintaining net negativeembodied carbon in order to accelerate carbon-negative construction.

Direct extrusion and the design of an internal timber structure with parametric formwork aimed toto increase geometric variation in hempcrete construction. Evaluation of the designed artefactsrevealed that, while direct extrusion requires further research before it is deemed a viablehempcrete construction method, the plywood structure and formwork module successfullyincreases architectural expression through its hybrid workflow. Combining the efficiency andmass-customisation ability of robots with the adaptability and problem-solving skills of humanworkers led to a streamlined construction workflow where robots and humans work togetherto realise a geometrically expressive, carbon-conscious architecture greater than what eithercould achieve alone.

History

Copyright Date

2022-04-09

Date of Award

2022-04-09

Publisher

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Rights License

Author Retains Copyright

Degree Discipline

Architecture

Degree Grantor

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Degree Level

Masters

Degree Name

Master of Architecture (Professional)

ANZSRC Type Of Activity code

4 EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

Victoria University of Wellington Item Type

Awarded Research Masters Thesis

Language

en_NZ

Victoria University of Wellington School

Wellington School of Architecture

Advisors

Pelosi, Antony