Evaluating the Buildability of Architectural Geometries: Embedding fabrication awareness into the design of concrete elements

As digital fabrication processes become more common in the building industry, architects are challenged to design for the capacities of the new fabrication machinery. This paper describes computational methods for evaluating the buildability of architectural elements, in relation to the machine chosen to produce them. We focus on developing methods for the evaluation of molds for concrete elements with a complex geometry. The developed methods are tailored to specific digital fabrication processes, common in the building industry: bent sheet material molds and molds in solid material. The evaluation algorithm uses differential curvature properties of surfaces together with mesh-based operations to evaluate the feasibility of a geometry and the machine time necessary to fabricate it. The innovation of this method is that the feasibility and machine time are calculated rather than simulated, which leads to obtaining results in a fraction of the traditional time. The suggested method was developed into a tool which can be seamlessly integrated into the architectural design process. The speed and accuracy of the suggested method and tool were validated in a design experiment. The real-time buildability information it provides can help designers embed fabrication knowledge into their designs, changing the design where necessary to adapt it to the fabrication process.