Revisiting Breuer Through Additive Manufacturing (2023-09)¶

With the IBM Research Center in La Gaude, France (1960-1962), the architect Marcel Breuer pioneered a novel industrial approach towards modular construction using precast façade elements for on-site assembly, combining load-bearing and solar control functions in their configuration. This industrial production method involved a high level of standardization, which was a practical response to the need for rapid and cost-effective construction systems. However, this standardization limited the ability to create custom elements to meet specific local requirements, such as variations in solar exposure. To overcome this limitation, new methods of Additive Manufacturing in Construction (AMC) could enhance design flexibility, allowing for bespoke designs while still maintaining industrialisable production processes. This paper draws inspiration from Breuer's building design with the aim to expand the concept of element prefabrication by incorporating performance-based and locally customized design approaches supported by AMC technology. As such, the authors present the method and results of an experimental case study for multi-scale-differentiation of building envelope elements, which design was informed by solar radiation simulations and AMC-related boundary conditions. The research describes an algorithmic based design-to-production workflow combining computational design and simulation methods using geometry-based graphical methods for solar control and solar radiation simulations for form-based changes, leveraging the potential of Selective Cement Activation (SCA) as an AMC technology. The workflow was tested and evaluated on behalf of the design and additive manufacturing of a building envelope element at full building scale.