Project description
How can wood waste and digital tools be used to develop new applications and construction methods for sustainable and circular construction practices?The research pavilion 'NAIL-IT', created for 'DasFest 2023' in Karlsruhe in collaboration between the professorships for Digital Design and Fabrication (DDF) and design of structures (dos) at KIT, provides a possible answer to this question.As a construction made from recycled wood, this structure consists of 827 individual wooden parts that were geometrically recorded in a database. Through the use of digital planning software, these parts were put together three-dimensionally to form an overall structure consisting of a total of 36 structural ribs, which form an efficient support system through spiral-shaped crossings. In order to initially produce these geometrically individual ribs and later to spatially connect them, floor plans and analogue drawings were not used, but augmented reality glasses were used, which enabled precise assembly at the interface between physical and digital perception. Wooden nails shot with compressed air were used to connect the wooden parts, which ensure a pure solution for coupling the elements and enable ecological recycling at the end of their service life.
Material price 2023
Why was the material chosen?
In Germany, the construction industry accounts for 90% of the consumption of mineral resources and is responsible for 50% of the waste generated. Part of the waste is made up of disposable and discarded reusable pallets. This waste must be recycled in the spirit of a circular construction industry.
What special quality does the material achieve?
The pavilion is made of different types of solid wood, which appear homogeneous from a distance. Upon closer inspection, the inhomogeneity of the surfaces in different qualities, colors and textures becomes visually visible and tactile.
What makes the use of materials special?
Each piece of wood was recycled from waste wood and inventoried in a database. With the help of computer-based design tools, each individual part was efficiently (re)used and assembled using AR glasses with wooden nails.