Got that comment...

condoms? i am in-between transportation right now so i couldnt get my hands of any fabric yet but i am working on it. condoms? yeah that would work, i thought latex gloves would be cool too. actually the columns that i saw on the internet which were pdf files so couldnt get the image but basically was like plastic or a latex but they were wrap'n straps around them in areas to get grooves and such.

LINK TO PORTLAND CEMENT COMPETITION

https://www.acsa-arch.org/competitions/pca2006.aspx

Architect Mark West leading the fabric cast revolution

Mark West breaks out of the 'norm'. questioning how things are done his light weight fabric molds demonstrated in the first photograph proves the little trouble of transportation. and the second photograph shows the resultant beam that was created. this techique makes the concrete stronger as air bubbles escape through the fabric, also it allows for the creation of an organic beam.

University of Edinburgh studies fabric casted cement

this is one of the inspirations behind my last cast. this example shows the before and after of a fabric mold cast and the resulting beam. a number of different elements have been casted at the university including beams, columns and panels.

study model

plastic bag concrete

it is amazing the shapes this style of casting and create. after the cement is dry we can see the space the shape makes.

plastic bag concrete formwork

fabric concrete formwork saves money, material and transportation costs. this type of formwork is the first advancements in concrete formwork since WWII when plywood was invented and is changing how things are being built. these formworks are being shipped in bookbags and are up to 300 times lighter. these woven geotextile fabrics allow air bubbles and excess mix water to seep out making the concrete more sustainable. mark west goes into great detail in this advancement at this website http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/architecture/cast/pdf_downloads/1_pr.pdf

i started rapidly seaching the library and internet to find as many examples as i could. i began to search for geotextile fabrics to buy because i wanted to make something too. with lack of money and materials i had to improvise, the rim of a fastfood cup, a plastic bag and some cardboard is what i came up with. the biggest amazement to me was that the bag did not break. when i was inspired to make my plastic bag concrete formwork that would end up in a swollen column i was looking at these websites http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/architecture/cast/pdf_downloads/4_pr.pdf

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.innovationandresearchfocus.org.uk/images/issue_62/BCA_beam.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.innovationandresearchfocus.org.uk/articles/html/issue_62/Studies_in_fabric-cast_concrete.asp&h=186&w=250&sz=27&hl=en&sig2=TE8

kind of makes me think again about movement...

of course these all have the negatives were i think they should be positives and each brick are missing opportunites, they should have (+) connectors on more sides to provide more opportunity.?

connection components

just been searching the internet a little today and thought these pieces were interesting.

i found an interesting website...

www.zianet.com/papercrete/buildingwpc.asp

when i think of componets, i think of the pieces that make up the larger idea. i dont know if you think this is possible or relevant but i think if we pushed and pulled pieces like these then we could make some interesting architecture.

silly kids stackings for cement!

ron, just got back from vegas, which was a learning experience but also a lot of time away from my studies. but as i was trying to go to sleep i kept thinking about the cement project, well i have been think'n about it for a few days now. my initail idea was for 'square' pieces of concrete connected through the center with rebar, but connected in a way that the pieces could move. then i started thinking if the pieces were light enough then they could not only be moved but also remove. so i guess i was visioning a infastructure of rebar were pieces could be taken out, kind of like opening a window or the blinds in the morning, but then the pieces that are removed could act as something else. so a interactive/reactive system. but then i wondered if that might be too much work for someone to want to do. so i thought the cement pieces could be bricks. but not exactly like center blocks were pieces are taken out to allow for rebar, these would resemble more of a 'lego' style, allowing for several different types of pieces all with the extruded male connection pieces in the middle of each piece. this would allow for a system of constuction that anyone could do, and with several types of pieces: typical brick, 45's, 90's ect. any shape could be made. but these are just some thoughts for a new component of a building system.