Design and natural materials – innovative approaches for a sustainable future architecture and structural engineering

Abstract

Perceptible limitations of resources, energy and agglomerations of waste cause modern societies to consider and expand research on sustainable and natural principles. In this context, the building construction sector, with its large impact on material consumption and landfilling, requires special attention and consideration. Strategies may include: using recyclable materials, reducing material waste and entropy, and using bio-based materials that can be returned to the natural material cycle without any treatment or separation processes. The paper gives an insight into the design and elaboration of lightweight metal sheet structures, approaches to the use of raw wood for structures and structural purposes, and the material design of mycelium composite components for construction purposes. Parametric design tools enable the control of complex geometries both at the general and detailed level of metal sheet shells and folded plate structures. New approaches like Off-Knot-Design combined with digital taxonomy and parametric tools provide a new way to design frame, truss, or beam-like structures from raw wood parts. Material design principles and the use of symbiotic biological properties help develop fungus and wood composites that can be disposed without further post-processing. The shown approaches demonstrate how well-known materials such as metal sheets and old materials such as wood lead to innovative sustainable solutions through interdisciplinary knowledge combined with computer algorithms and tools.