Thesis Projects
Filigree Concrete: The Architecture of Fibres
This thesis explores the influence of complex formwork geometry on fibre orientation and distribution in ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete, using experiments with tubular branching geometries and casting strategies to inform the design and fabrication of slender architectural components.
Students: Maria Pia Assaf, Ioulios Georgiou
Thesis Supervisor: Andrei Jipa, Angela Yoo, Georgia Chousou
Industry Partner: Bekaert AG
Exploring Material Self-Formation: Crafting Surfaces through Feedback-Based Robotic Plaster Spraying
This thesis investigates a feedback-based robotic plaster spraying method, using a depth camera and a 6DoF robotic arm to create volumetric cementitious surfaces without formwork, exploring its design potential for bespoke surface finishes.
Students: Tsai Ping-Hsun, Eliott Sounigo
Thesis Supervisor: Selen Ercan, Dr. Ena Lloret-Fritschi
Porous Assemblies: Robotic 3D Printing of Mineral Foam for Lightweight Architectures
This thesis explores robotic 3D extrusion printing of mineral foam bricks for lightweight architectural assemblies, focusing on material reduction, bespoke tool-path generation, and discrete assembly design to address global housing and sustainability challenges.
Student: Dinorah Martinez Schulte
Thesis Supervisor: Patrick Bedarf
Collaboration: Fen X AG
Adaptive Clay Formations: Robotic In-Situ Clay Construction
This thesis advances Rapid Clay Formations (RCF) research by developing a robotic fabrication process for tall, monolithic clay structures, integrating material optimization, geometric sensing, and mobile robotic localization, validated through prototypes and a building workshop.
Students: Anton Tetov Johansson, Edurne Morales Zúñiga
Thesis Supervisor: David Jenny, Coralie Ming, Nicolas Feihl & Gonzalo Casas
Industry Partners: Lehmag AG and Brauchli Ziegelei AG
Carbon Fiber Exoskeleton: 3D Printing of Carbon Fiber-Reinforcement
This thesis investigates a novel method for integrating carbon fiber reinforcement onto 3D-printed freeform concrete formworks, leveraging carbon fiber’s non-corrosive properties and high strength-to-weight ratio to optimize material use and enhance the structural performance of thin concrete components.
Student: Fatemeh Salehi Amiri
Thesis Supervisor: Hyunchul Kwon
Skin and Bone: Eggshell 3D Printed Formwork with Mesh Mould Reinforcement
This thesis investigates the performance of 3D-printed concrete formworks under hydrostatic pressure, addressing challenges in stability and breakage while exploring the potential of parametric geometries and patterns to improve both structural performance and surface aesthetics.
Students: Yu-Hung Chiu, Chanon Techathuvanun
Thesis Supervisors: Joris Burger, Ena Lloret-Fritschi, Tim Wangler (Prof. Flatt)
Non-Planar Seams for Branching Structures
This thesis explores non-planar layered printing to enable complex shapes, such as branching structures, proposing a segmentation strategy using non-planar boundaries to optimize layer configurations for functionality and aesthetics in large-scale FDM robotic printing.
Student: Mahiro Goto
Thesis Supervisor: Ioanna Mitropoulo
Mesh Mould Earth Construction
This thesis builds on Mesh Mould technology to develop a fabrication process for reinforced earthen structures with complex geometries, combining natural reinforcement materials, digital fabrication methods, and a human-machine apparatus to create accessible and low-tech workflows for socio-economic contexts.
Students: Jomana Baddad & Indra Santosa
Thesis Supervisors: Mattis Koh, Nik Eftekhar Olivo, Marvin Rüppel, Coralie Ming, Ammar Mirjan
In Collaboration With Oxara: Thibault Demoulin & Gnanli Landrou
Adaptive Resolution for Volumetric Modelling
This thesis explores adaptive resolution in volumetric modelling, proposing a computational workflow to control local levels of detail in 3D models, demonstrated through case studies in digital fabrication using FDM 3D printing with variable filament thicknesses.
Student: Rémy Clémente
Thesis Supervisors: Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger, Mathias Bernhard
Illuminating Links: A Design Research for Steel-Gel Casting
This thesis explores steel-gel casting in FDM formwork, developing a design language and prototyping a multifunctional steel component that integrates structural connections, lighting, and ornamentation, inspired by and tailored to the fabrication process.
Student: László Mangliár
Thesis Supervisor: Marirena Kladeftira
Pushing the Boundaries of Integral Joints in Robotically Assembled Timber Structures
This thesis investigates an angular clamping system for robotically assembled timber structures, enabling integral lap joints at varied angles on the same plane, expanding geometric possibilities and validating parametric design rules through a 1:1 scale prototype.
Student: Frédéric Brisson
Thesis Supervisors: Victor Leung, Davide Tanadini (Prof. Schwartz)
PerSkin: Add-On 3D Printing on Fabric
This thesis explores combining polymer extrusion with fabric substrates to create spatial architectural elements, providing experimental data on the behaviour of this composite material and proposing new design approaches for faster and scalable additive manufacturing in architecture.
Student: Emmanuelle Sallin
Thesis Supervisor: Matthias Leschok