At regular intervals, the Institute for Structural Analysis and Design at ETH Zurich organises IBK colloquia. Within the framework of this lecture series, exceptional construction projects from Switzerland and abroad will be presented.
At the event on 31 May 2016, Dr. Andrea Bassetti presented the much acclaimed ETH building project under the title “Arch_Tec_Lab – New structural forms thanks to digital fabrication” and described its unusual design and development processes from the point of view of the civil engineer.
As part of the multidisciplinary research project, a 2,300 m2 roof construction with free form was digitally planned and fabricated during the realisation of the new Arch_Tec_Lab building on the ETH Hönggerberg campus. The development and application of novel workflows for the planning and production of the complex roof structure, known as the “digital chain”, posed special challenges for planners and contractors. In addition, efficient lightweight load-bearing structures and innovative systems for building services were successfully designed and used in the realisation of the building.