Tutor: Hyunchul Kwon

Freeform components play an increasingly important role in contemporary architecture. Freeform concrete component fabrication becomes available due to the recent innovation of 3D printing (3DP), allowing the fabrication of geometrically complex formwork. However, the tensional reinforcement strategy remains unexplored for such a freeform concrete building component, particularly for the thin concrete structure. To efficiently materialize structurally-performative freeform thin concrete components, this research investigates composite 3DP technology allowing to create unprecedented exoskeletal carbon fiber-reinforcement. Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) has a high strength-to-weight ratio, and resistance to aggressive environments with good fatigue and installation properties, as well as high formability enabling freeform adaptation. Moreover, this research develops a computational strategy based on structural optimization strategy allowing material reduction of relatively expensive carbon fiber materials to be applied only where needed. The methodology of this research includes a series of experiments regarding fabrication strategy evaluation, structural assessment, and design exploration, and finally the design and fabrication of a prototypical large-scale demonstrator. Lastly, the expected result of this research contains a tool that allows architects to materialize their freeform design with materially-efficient and structurally-informed features.