WEAVING CONCRETE BLOCK
Abstract taken from the published article https://doi.org/10.22452/jdbe.vol19no3.1
This paper presents creative geometry research focusingon computational design explorationto improvetheeco-performance of concrete blocks used as a building material.To provide a positiveeco-performance, an optimized concrete block was designed to be more efficientthan a conventional concrete blockwith respect tothe materialsusedand the space occupied during storageand transport. The results prove that the form iscost-effective and that the environmentalimpactcaused by associatedproduction and distributionprocesseswould be comparatively reduced.Computationalresearch based on parametric design thinkingenabledthe relationship between form properties as selected design parameters to beevaluated, withthe aim ofensuringthat efficiency doesnot compromise technical requirementsand that the overall functional roleof the concrete blockis appropriate when usedas a constituent material innonstructuralwall construction. Volumetric-based measurements wereemployedusingRhinocerosmodelingsoftware with a Grasshopper plug-into assess the eco-performance of the concrete block based on selected indicators. The resultsshow that the folded S-shape concrete block with awidth of 40 mm consumesonly 43% of the main material and 14% of the auxiliary material relative to aconventional concrete blockwith a width of 100 mm.When arranged horizontally,a standard container can hold60% more of the optimized concrete block units comparedto conventional ones. Additionalfindings were also made thatsuggestfuture research potential,including use of the concrete blocks as building elements inpassive design strategies.
This paper presents creative geometry research focusingon computational design explorationto improvetheeco-performance of concrete blocks used as a building material.To provide a positiveeco-performance, an optimized concrete block was designed to be more efficientthan a conventional concrete blockwith respect tothe materialsusedand the space occupied during storageand transport. The results prove that the form iscost-effective and that the environmentalimpactcaused by associatedproduction and distributionprocesseswould be comparatively reduced.Computationalresearch based on parametric design thinkingenabledthe relationship between form properties as selected design parameters to beevaluated, withthe aim ofensuringthat efficiency doesnot compromise technical requirementsand that the overall functional roleof the concrete blockis appropriate when usedas a constituent material innonstructuralwall construction. Volumetric-based measurements wereemployedusingRhinocerosmodelingsoftware with a Grasshopper plug-into assess the eco-performance of the concrete block based on selected indicators. The resultsshow that the folded S-shape concrete block with awidth of 40 mm consumesonly 43% of the main material and 14% of the auxiliary material relative to aconventional concrete blockwith a width of 100 mm.When arranged horizontally,a standard container can hold60% more of the optimized concrete block units comparedto conventional ones. Additionalfindings were also made thatsuggestfuture research potential,including use of the concrete blocks as building elements inpassive design strategies.