Optimising concrete slabs with paper formwork

Amicarelli, Fabio; Lloret Fritschi, Ena

doi:10.1002/ad.3095

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Amicarelli_Lloret-Fritschi_Wiley_ArchitecturalDesign_Optimising Concrete Slabs.pdf

Journal article

Optimising concrete slabs with paper formwork

Amicarelli, Fabio ORCID Accademia di architettura, Università della Svizzera italiana, Svizzera
Lloret Fritschi, Ena ORCID Accademia di architettura, Università della Svizzera italiana, Svizzera

2024

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Architectural Design (AD), Wiley. - 2024, vol. 94, Constructing Change: The Impact of Digital Fabrication on Sustainability, no. 5, p. 40-47

English Concrete is by far the most used building material, due to its availability, strength, durability, and versatility. Despite having less embodied carbon per unit volume than other building materials, concrete is used so extensively worldwide that it is one of the largest contributors to CO2 emissions in the built environment. We are now at a turning point for moving towards a more sustainable way of building: we need to use less material and produce less waste. Foldcast can save up to 50% of concrete in structural slab elements, by using low-cost and recyclable formworks inserts made of paper. The combination of structural optimization strategies and digital fabrication processes for the design and construction of a large-scale prototype showed how such methods can significantly reduce carbon footprint of concrete structures.

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