Argamassa Amada 2024
The UE Argamassa Armada developed prototypes of structural elements in textile reinforced concrete (TRC) for the context of social housing in Nicaragua, based on the knowledge of the TRC Prototype Pavilion at EPFL Fribourg, where the UE took place.
This research through the making is based on the use of innovative Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC), a material with high mechanical properties where a carbon fabric is embedded in a cementitious matrix cast with low-clinker content binders, like LC3. The use of such binders together with the high efficiency of the reinforcing material allows to dramatically reduce the ecological footprint of construction (use of less material and with lower energy consumption for production). TRC allows thus building very thin and highly durable, and thus very sustainable structures.
The UE aims at further exploring the structural, architectonic, environmental and social dimensions of TRC and its application, especially in the context of social housing in Latin America. Based on the TRC Prototype Pavilion, started in 2019 at EPFL Fribourg and prior research on Brazilian architect Lelé's Argamassa Armada (ferrocement), we develop TRC elements for social houses in Nicaragua, where the teaching team established a project partnership with Grupo Sofonias, an organization working with local communities in the rural area of Jinotepe, Nicaragua. We also test the use of LC3 cement for TRC, thanks to the collaboration of the LMC lab at the EPFL, a sustainable binder developed at EPFL and already in the way to be implemented in Latin America.
Our working method is a reiterative process of developing through testing at EPFL Fribourg. Architecture, environmental engineering, and civil engineering students will develop a concept of social housing design and build structural elements in textile reinforced concrete, fabricate formwork in folded metal, prepare the textile reinforcement, mix and cast concrete and conceive and test the materials, structural elements and the assembly and behavior of the TRC elements.
TEACHING TEAM
Patricia Guaita – ENAC IA ALICE
Raffael Baur – external expert ENAC
Enrique Corres Sojo – Doctoral Assistant, ENAC IIC IBETON
David Fernández-Ordonez – fib, Host Prof, ENAC IIC IBETON
STUDENTS
Clémence Buet
Lucas Cormier
Daniel Correia Dos Santos
Paul Delort Laval
Ian Fantinati
Fred Fayad
Christophe Germani
Zacharie Libaud
Karma Matadin
Arnaud Moreau
Jean Paulsen
Milos Pavlovic
Alicia Perez Domouso
Francois-Xavier Pfyffer Von Altishofen
Denis Roman
Patric Rosariaamaral
Tiago Whitehead