Jamming Structures

In 2012, construction and demolition (C&D) waste accounted for half
of all the global waste that ended up in landfills. It is well-documented
that materials used in the building process have a harmful impact on the
environment. Most of the building waste ends up in backfilling operations
or directly in landfills. Reuse of building materials is considered necessary
for reducing C&D waste and material consumption. Despite its importance,
the research of reuse has remained relatively unexplored to traditional
construction methods in which elements are permanently joined together.
 

Granular jamming is defined as the transition from a collection of loose and
unbound particles into a highly packed and rigid aggregation. In contrast
to permanent bonding, the particles are stabilized through compression
when packed within a confined space. The absence of any binding between
particles allows the aggregated structure to be completely reversible.
Over the last years, research on jamming and its possible application in
architectural construction have pushed the boundaries of the material
system. Instead of using external constraints, ETH developed a system
in which string was used as confinement to create large scale aggregated
structures. Alternatively, ICD designed a particle shape that interlocked
with one another without any type of confinement.

This thesis project focused on the reversibility of aggregated structures
and how they slowly changed over a long time period when subjected to
natural processes and human intervention. Design speculation was used to
investigate how C&D waste at SENT landfill in Hong Kong can be jammed
together to create a landscape of aggregated structures that add to the
currently low stock of open spaces in Hong Kong and shelter the visitors
from overheating.

Taking its departure from research on granular jamming and its possible
architectural application conducted at the ETH, the thesis also incorporates
material experiments, design studies and precedence such as drystone
architecture and aggregate studies in other materials in order to better
understand the material system’s capacity to function as a construction
material. Ultimately, the thesis embodied the characteristics of granular
jamming in a speculative design proposal that aimed to spark a discussion
on the future implications of aggregated structures.