ArchiBioFoam

Digital design and robotic fabrication of biofoams for adaptive mono-material architecture

The overall objective of the ARCHIBIOFOAM project is to create mono-material yet multifunctional material systems for architecture through the additive fabrication of biofoam materials in functional structures. Our approach integrates biobased materials science, computational metamaterial design, and robotic additive manufacturing.

Our computational fabrication process will enable functionally graded, loadbearing and adaptively shape-changing structures through the structuring of the novel biofoam material at multiple hierarchical scales. The objectives are to:

1. create 3D-printable biofoams with programmable properties at the microscale by manipulating the microstructure of bubble films in the biofoam to directionally expand or contract to external stimuli,
2. automatically generate optimal biofoam-based metamaterial structures by developing a multi-objective optimization algorithm to achieve the targeted shape changes,
3. and materialize architectural scale components with tailored stiffness and autonomously actuating parts by developing robotic additive fabrication processes at the meter scale.

By leveraging the properties and geometry of materials at multiple hierarchical scales, biobased mono-material systems can meet multiple performance criteria and eliminate the need for multi-material layered construction. This novel computational fabrication approach is at the heart of the current climate challenge, aiming to enable biobased materials to outperform high embodied energy construction materials while being recyclable and compostable at their end-of-life.

ICD Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart
Dr.-Ing. Tiffany Cheng (PCoCo), Sujie Park, Ekin Sila Sahin, Prof. A. Menges

Complex Systems and Materials, Aalto University
Dr. Juha Koivisto (PCoCo)

Center for Complexity and Biosystems, University of Milan
Prof. Stefano Zapperi (PCoCo)

Woamy Ltd.
Luisa Jannuzzi

Horizon Europe - EIC Pathfinder Challenge: AEC digitalisation for a new triad of design, fabrication, and materials.