FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: FABRIC FORMWORK FOR ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURES
This sold out event was held from Friday, May 16th to Sunday, 18th 2008 at the CAST Centre, University of Manitoba.
| Alan Chandler, Architect, Professor, University of East London, England. Professor Chandler discussed several experimental architectural applications of fabric wall forms, including fabric formworks for rammed earth walls and fabric-restrained rammed earth columns. His research explores a very ecological combination -- the ultra-low embodied energy of rammed earth construction with the minimal material consumption of fabric formwork. |
This draped fabric wall by Professor Chandler shows the elegance and simplicity of fabric forming. |
| Arno Pronk, Architect, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Holland. Arno Pronk has developed innovative technologies using inflatable forms to shape thin-shell spray concrete and FRP (fiber reinforced Polymer) structures. His presentation demonstrated how these innovative construction methods can be used to build new architectural forms as well as the engineering analysis used to model and calculate these designs. |
Arno Pronk uses inflatable forms to shape thin-shell spray concrete and FRP (fiber reinforced Polymer) structures. |
| David Jolly, Architect and Professor, Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Ritoque, Chile. Professor Jolly, along with colleagues in the Open City Group of Architects, has been constructing fabric-formed architectural experiments in South America since 2003. The Open City in Ritoque, Chile, well known for over 40 years of extraordinary architectural experiments, is now the site of several cutting-edge fabric-formed concrete constructions including: very stiff composite columns, bending moment-shaped beams, and a sculptural cast-in-place wall made using with a structural fabric form-liner in modified plywood wall forms. Professor Jolly discussed recent projects of his students. |
The Open City in Ritoque, Chile, is well known for extraordinary architectural experiments, including cutting-edge fabric-formed concrete constructions |
| David South is the inventor and founder of Monolithic Dome Institute. David has constructed thousands of domes over the past 30 years using inflatable fabric forms. Many of these constructions are large insulated buildings with diameters reaching 90 m. (300 ft.) or more. Others are smaller structures built as low-cost housing. David reviewed the work of his company and described their construction methodology. |
David South discusses cable tensioning on one of his inflatable domes. |
| Kenzo Unno, Architect, Tokyo, Japan, and works at the Umi Architectural Atelier. Kenzo has developed methods of forming cast-in-place concrete walls using fabric molds. Mr. Unno's presentation described these techniques, named URC (Unno Reinforced Concrete), and showed how they were invented and developed. The basic configuration of URC formworks was described in detail, and built works using URC were shown. The future of URC was discussed through drawings and a sample model. |
Kenzo has developed methods of forming cast-in-place concrete walls using fabric molds. |
| Mark West is the Founder and Director of CAST, a fabric formwork researcher and inventor. He demonstrated how fabric formwork allows the construction of a new architectural ‘language’ of sensual fluid forms. He showed how fabric provides simple ways of shaping efficiently curved structural members. Mark explained how the search for economical construction techniques that simultaneously achieve both ends is the central focus of research at the Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (CAST). His presentation further described and illustrated techniques for constructing fabric-formed columns, walls, beams, trusses, panels, and thin-shell vaults using plain flat sheets of fabric and standard construction tools. |
CAST has developed the 'Bulge Wall' Method for forming appendages alongside conventional flat walls. |
| Remo Pedreschi, an Engineer and Professor of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland has done research into flexible formwork and how it allows the construction of a new architectural ‘language’ of sensual fluid forms. He also demonstrated how fabric provides simple ways of shaping efficiently curved structural members. His presentation described and illustrated techniques for constructing fabric-formed columns, walls, beams, trusses, panels, and thin-shell vaults using plain flat sheets of fabric and standard construction tools, and it explored some of the architectural possibilities opened up by fabric-formed concrete. |
Unique columns formed by the students at Professor Pedreschi's creative lectures. |
| Richard Fearn is the President, CEO
and Founder of Fab-Form Industries Ltd., a manufacturer of fabric forming products. Richard discussed the challenges of introducing paradigm shifting technologies into a construction market that is very slow in adoption. He analyzed other paradigm shifting technologies such as gypsum wall board and engineered lumber, and discussed the exogenous forces that eventually lead to their mass adoption. |
Fabric forms manufactured by Fab-Form provide outstanding efficiencies to the contractor. This is a Giusti project in Kelowna, BC. |
| Sandy Lawton is a Builder and Architect with Arro Design as well as a teacher with Yestermorrow School in Vermont. Sandy discussed his recent 'Tree House Project' and the issues of forming with fabric on the jobsite. A recent insulated fabric wall form project was described as well as student projects in South America. |
Arro Design was the builder and designer of this unique concrete tree house project in Vermont, USA. |