An Australian architecture practice and architecture school have unveiled what they’re calling “the world’s first robotic 3D-printed air diffusion system,” a design which could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector.
Developed by BVN and the UTS School of Architecture, Systems Reef 2, or SR2 for short, replaces the steel typically seen in ducted air conditioning systems with recycled plastic. It also replaces square corners with aerodynamic curves and large vents with fine pores.
Designed to fit into existing air-conditioning units, SR2 has already been installed in BVN’s own office space in Sydney.
In a statement published by the university, BVN co-CEO Ninotschka Titchkosky said that when assessing the environmental performance of the building the focus was often limited to the materials or structure.
“At BVN we are also mindful that the electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems inside a building contribute up to 33 percent of the total carbon cost of a typical office building,” she said.
Systems Reef 2 is the “world’s first robotic 3D-printed air diffusion system.”
Image:
UTS School of Architecture
“This means if we are to be serious about reducing the carbon impact of building design, we have to also rethink how we deliver air in buildings. This new system – SR2 – is really about this. It’s 3D-printing air.
“98% of all buildings are existing, therefore if we are to address climate change we need to adapt and reinvent our existing buildings to ensure they remain relevant”
Manufactured at UTS’s Advanced Fabrication Lab, SR2 is robotically 3D-printed and computationally designed, and so the system is adaptable and customizable.
To design team programmed an industrial robot to strategically place thousands of tiny tailor-made pores in elongated tubes that slot together to create a networked system, said UTS associate professor Tim Schork from the School of Architecture at UTS.
“Rather than dumping air at routine intervals across a floorplan, this design distributes the air evenly: meaning that there is a more consistent air temperature and flow and nobody needs to sit under the cold draught of a high-powered vent,” he said.
The system’ distinctive organic curves are based on detailed computer modelling to reduce energy loss and encourage air flow.
“Air doesn’t move in right-angles, so it’s not logical to design an air distribution system with square corners,” said Schork.
The technology will be officially launched at BVN’s studio and via live stream on 24 June.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
