Environmental and cost assessment of customized modular wall components production based on an adaptive formwork casting mechanism: An experimental study

Abstract

The application of automation and robotics in construction industry, has shown significant growth in recent decades with examples to include, among others, adaptive casting techniques. Such examples have been few in number and have been assessed, mostly in regard to their qualitative performance. Also, little, fragmented and not fully systematized research has examined their environmental and economic impact, along with the benefits that their application could bring in construction. A comprehensive and systematic investigation of their environmental and economic feasibility based on quantitative results could provide a clearer understanding of their benefits with future goal their widespread use in the construction industry. This hypothesis is tested through an experimental study of an innovative adaptive formwork casting mechanism that is applied for the customized production of a variety of modular brick typologies. The results of implementation and production process are assessed in terms of their life cycle and cost performance, and compared with a conventional casting approach. Adobe, mixture of clay with cement, and concrete, are used as the materials of implementation. The introduction of a novel adaptive formwork casting mechanisms and the results obtained show that the technique can be effectively applied for the construction of modular brick components with large variability. This is due to the advantages that arise in relation to their environmental impact and cost performance in long term, compared to conventional formwork casting techniques. Such applications might open new possibilities in construction industry towards a more sustainable and cleaner casting and production process of customized building components.