To read this content please select one of the options below:

A strategy for integrating hillside dwelling design and automated construction techniques

Philip Tong (Wellington School of Architecture, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand)
Hans-Christian Wilhelm (Wellington School of Architecture, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand)

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment

ISSN: 2046-6099

Article publication date: 5 April 2022

Issue publication date: 5 July 2022

152

Abstract

Purpose

Sloping topographies in urban areas are often under-utilised due to complex designs and difficult access, resulting in low construction productivity and high cost. Automated construction techniques are usually limited to flat sites or lab spaces. This research combines concepts for automated and prefabricated construction with hillside dwelling design. It proposes a strategy to integrate both aspects and to equally inform design process and design output. The aims are to turn hillside access and construction automation into design generators, improve productivity and use more affordable hillside sites.

Design/methodology/approach

Analysis of typologies for hillside housing and automated construction techniques is used to derive principles and parameters to inform a strategy and generative script for setting out, volumetric disposition and access and using the topography as a design-generator. The output from the generative script and tool can then form the basis of a high-density, low-rise dwelling development suited for serial, automation-assisted construction. The strategy is tested on a case study site.

Findings

The typological analysis helps devising strategies for integrating construction robotics and design criteria for hillside housing. The generative script illustrates how a strategy is implemented and used in a design tool able to absorb varying input data, including topographies. This generates innovative, site-specific design outcomes, suited for a process that adapts contemporary construction automation techniques and allows for more efficient use of hillside sites.

Originality/value

This research builds on construction automation methods and proposes novel combinations and adaptations for use on hillside sites. It demonstrates how robotics and generative tools can inform early design stages.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This article has been developed based on and supplemented by the Master’s thesis work of first author Philip Tong, supervised by second author Hans-Christian Wilhelm. It substantially expands preliminary work, which the authors presented at the Architectural Science Association 2020 conference:

Tong, Philip and Hans-Christian Wilhelm. 2020. “An integrated approach towards hillside building design for automated construction.” In, The 54th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association, edited by Ali Ghaffarianhoseini, Amihosein Ghaffarianhoseini and Nicola Naismith, 171–180. Auckland: The Architectural Science Association.

Citation

Tong, P. and Wilhelm, H.-C. (2022), "A strategy for integrating hillside dwelling design and automated construction techniques", Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 387-403. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-11-2021-0198

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles