Designed granular materials that require no binding agents are fully recyclable building materials. HolcimAwards winners Karola Dierichs, Weißensee Academy of Art, Berlin and Achim Menges, Institute for Computational Design & Construction, University of Stuttgart have published a new book chapter on “Emergent Enclosures”.

The ICD Aggregate Pavilion 2015 by the University of Stuttgart’s Institute for Computational Design (ICD: Institut für computerbasiertes Entwerfen) is the first architectural structure to be publically realized with a designed granular system. The individual grains of these aggregates are geometrically defined to interlock and consequently require no additional binding agent. The pavilion was constructed and exhibited during mid-2015 in a central location within the University of Stuttgart campus.

Aggregates are ubiquitous in the concrete production industry, yet are rarely deployed in an unbound form. This materials research project from the University of Stuttgart examines aggregate architectures made from designed, self-solidifying granulates that are fabricated by injection molding – an entirely novel branch of construction systems. The fact that structures can simply be poured, aggregated, disaggregated, and re-used in relatively short time-spans makes them a novel pioneering and outstanding approach in architectural construction technology.

In this context, Aggregate Structure is a pilot project for a ground-breaking construction method using the potential of loose, designed granulates. The individual grains of these aggregates are geometrically defined to interlock and consequently require no additional binding agent. Aggregate Structure is thus fully recyclable and can be rapidly poured into multiple spatial formations and adapt to almost any site constraints from urban to rural.

Read project feature in 4th Holcim Awards 2014/2015 (flip-book)

The winning projects of the Holcim Awards 2014 for Europe illustrate how sustainable construction continues to evolve – developing more sophisticated and multi-disciplinary responses to the challenges facing the building and construction industry. An ecological reserve and remediation project in Southern Italy, a low-cost flexible university building in Paris, and a participatory urban neighborhood in Vienna won gold, silver and bronze.

Karola Dierich notes the relevance of blending natural aspects with technological innovation. “Aggregate Structure: Reusable aggregates requiring no binding agent, Stuttgart, Germany” achieves a focus on multi-disciplinary research at the forefront of architecture, engineering, and materials science.

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The proposed scheme was praised by the jury for its focus on multi-disciplinary research at the forefront of architecture, engineering, and materials science. The jury views the project as the first step of a laboratory experiment, potentially leading to the development of new construction systems. The suggested method of how to join individual parts to form large aggregate structures is especially promising.