• Posted on 18 Jun 2021
  • 7-minute read

World’s first robotically 3D-printed air-diffusion system holds promise of reducing the building industry’s carbon footprint.

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Descriptive transcript

As a society, we're facing significant challenges, and we cannot afford building the same way we do now. There's a large opportunity looking at existing building services and how inflexible they are for how we work in our current environment. I'm Tim Schork, Associate Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney. My passion is to change our building industry in order to have a more sustainable future.

At BVN we've been doing workplace design for 20 years, and really what we wanted was to find research partners who can help us advance a solution to an existing problem, but also partners who can bring great intellectual rigour and equally be extremely collaborative. One of the things that we felt just hadn't really been tackled particularly well was how we deliver air to existing office buildings.

The Systems Reef 2 is really about 3D printing air. This has never been done before. We developed a robotic 3D printing process in which the robot can strategically place holes or pores within the 3D print, and we also developed a novel 3D printing process where the robot, instead of just laying things in flat, can use its ability to move freely in space to create branching objects in 3D space.

The construction industry in Australia is one of the least digitised globally. We have one of the highest levels of waste out of OECD countries. And it's really important to us as architects that we're making a more positive contribution to that story, and we're starting to influence the industry to change.

What I'm really excited about is that we're able to not only design the world's first robotic 3D printed air diffusion system, but we're also able to reduce the embedded carbon within the system by 89% compared to an existing solution. Only by working closely together were we able to design and fabricate this unique system.

Coming at the problem from multiple angles is really important. University of Technology in particular, they can come at it from a slightly more academic standpoint. We're really good at identifying maybe where some of these wicked problems lie within the world, and we're doing that because we're seeing it so regularly in the work that we're doing. And I think we're constantly learning from each other and we're kind of lifting each other's contributions through shared knowledge and shared collaboration.

What was really great about the project, we both share the same values. We are both passionate about the environment. We both want to change the industry. I'm really proud of what we've been able to do.

First of all, it's great that you can collaborate with a group of like-minded people and have a fantastic journey in that process. And then the other thing is we think we've created something that hasn't been done in the world before. There is really a lot to be gained from these kinds of collaborations. And actually, I can't stress enough how important it is that industry and academia continue to work together, and that we both bring our strengths into these relationships.

As one of the world’s biggest polluters, the building sector is responsible for nearly 40 percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.

Now architectural practice BVN and the UTS School of Architecture have teamed up to tackle the problem head on, with the design of the world’s first robotic 3D-printed air diffusion system, called ‘Systems Reef 2’ (SR2).

SR2 reinvents air distribution: replacing steel with recycled plastic, square corners with aerodynamic curves, and large vents with fine pores.

It offers a 90 percent reduction in embodied carbon when compared to existing systems. Made from recycled plastic waste, it can be fully recycled at the end of its life, exemplifying circular economy principles.

SR2 installed in the BVN office space in Sydney.
SR2 installed in the BVN office space in Sydney.

Reducing embodied carbon

SR2 is designed to fit into existing air-conditioning units, replacing the traditional steel duct work that has barely changed in design over the past 50 years.

Ninotschka Titchkosky, co-CEO of BVN Architecture, said often in architecture the spotlight is on the environmental impact of the materials and structure of buildings.

“However, at BVN we are also mindful that the electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems inside a building contribute up to 33 percent of the total carbon cost of a typical office building,” she said.

“This means if we are to be serious about reducing the carbon impact of building design, we have to also rethink how we deliver air in buildings. This new system – SR2 – is really about this. It’s 3D-printing air”.

“98% of all buildings are existing, therefore if we are to address climate change we need to adapt and reinvent our existing buildings to ensure they remain relevant,” said Titchkosky.

project UTS and BVN team members stand around table with multiple 3D printed components on it
The 3D-printed air-diffusion system was made in the UTS Advanced Fabrication Lab.

Transformative technologies

The invention makes use of the unique properties of advanced manufacturing. Robotically 3D-printed and computationally designed, the system is adaptable and customisable.

“As a society we are facing significant challenges and we can’t afford to continue building in the same way we do now,” said Associate Professor Tim Schork from the School of Architecture at UTS.

“What is required is a fundamental rethink and radical transformation of our current practices. We need to develop new approaches to design, materials and construction,” he said.

As a society we are facing significant challenges and we cant afford to continue building in the same way we do now Associate Professor Tim Schork

Comfort and efficiency

To create the components, the team programmed an industrial robot to strategically place thousands of tiny tailor-made pores in elongated tubes that slot together to create a networked system.

“Rather than dumping air at routine intervals across a floorplan, this design distributes the air evenly: meaning that there is a more consistent air temperature and flow and nobody needs to sit under the cold draught of a high-powered vent,” said Associate Professor Schork.

But the design isn’t just about comfort. The distinctive organic curves are based on detailed computer modelling that demonstrates that the curved design significantly reduces energy loss and encourages air flow.

“Air doesn’t move in right-angles, so it’s not logical to design an air distribution system with square corners,” said Associate Professor Schork.

SR2 reinvents air distribution.
SR2 reinvents air distribution.

Collaboration key to success

SR2 is a model example of a successful industry and university research collaboration, with each bringing unique insights, knowledge and expertise.

“The project has not only moved the boundaries of what is possible in architecture using computation, robotics, large-scale 3D-printing and low-embodied energy materials, it has also opened an entirely new research direction by envisioning new ways of designing and making new building services,” said Associate Professor Schork.

“Only by working closely together were we able to design and fabricate this unique system.”

For both Associate Professor Schork and Titchkosky there is an urgency to shifting existing building practices, by harnessing advanced technology and developing the digital design tools and manufacturing systems necessary to create a decarbonised building culture.

“We have one of the highest levels of waste out of OECD countries, and as architects, it's really important that we're making a positive contribution and beginning to influence the industry to change,” said Titchkosky.

Find out more about SR2 on the project website

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