Concrete: ConcreteWorks
They where contacted by ConcreteWorks to test the limitations and potential of Ductal; an ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete. The material offers superior strength, durability and the capacity to span large openings with minimal thickness when compared to traditional concrete. In addition, the material is highly moldable and can be poured into small pockets, filling gaps that would otherwise be impossible using standard reinforcing. They used advanced computer modeling software to generate a pattern that would allow seamless tiling from one panel to the next. In addition, the pattern could grow or shrink and be open or closed, depending on the requirements of the client, site and program. The design could be implemented on the exterior of a building as a superficial rain screen, or integrated into a weatherproof exterior facade system. It could also be used on the interior of a building as visual screen or focal wall. The panel was fabricated using a CNC mill. The mill allowed them to bypass the time-consuming process of drafting 2d drawings. After finalizing the computer model, they simply uploaded the 3d information directly to the milling machine, which then cut the form from a block of foam. Ductal was then poured into the foam mold. After a few days of drying, the final panel was extracted from the mold and ready to be installed.
On the left is an image of the CNC milled foam mold, before the Ductal is poured. The image on the right is a rendering of the 3d computer model used to mill the mold.
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