粘土旋转平台是一个独立的土基圆柱形结构，构成了SE音乐实验室的外部隔音外壳，这是一个高保真音乐礼堂，建在伯尔尼新翻修的Gurten Brewery内。这个圆柱形结构将粘土（一种可持续的零废料建筑材料）与计算设计技术相结合。该结构的直径接近11米，高度达到5米，而未加固的粘土只有15厘米。它是由一个移动机器人系统在原地建造的，该系统在50天内聚集了超过30,000块软粘土砖。

The Clay Rotunda is a free-standing earth-based cylindrical structure constituting the outer, soundproof shell of the SE MusicLab, a high-fidelity music auditorium built inside the newly refurbished Gurten Brewery in Bern. The cylindrical structure combines clay, a sustainable zero-waste building material, with computational design techniques. Featuring a diameter of almost 11 meters the structure reaches a height of 5 meters with just 15 cm of unreinforced clay. It was built in-situ by a mobile robotic system that aggregated over 30’000 soft clay bricks over a period of 50 days.

设计。粘土旋转平台的极度纤细是通过其起伏的设计来实现的，这可以增加占地面积，稳定结构，以防止屈曲效应。控制这个薄壳的几何形状的计算模型是通过考虑到工程师的结构模型、粘土的材料特性以及建筑过程的顺序来设计的。事实上，由于机械臂的范围有限，以及材料在干燥过程中的收缩，需要实施复杂的策略，将结构的水平和垂直分割成匹配的梯形。

Design. The extreme slenderness of the Clay Rotunda is made possible by its undulated design, which allows to increase the footprint and stabilize the structure in order to prevent buckling effects. The computational model that controls the geometry of this thin shell was designed by taking into account the structural models of the engineers, the material properties of the clay as well as the sequencing of the building process. In fact, the limited reach of the robotic arm and the shrinking of the material while drying demanded the implementation of complex strategies for the horizontal and vertical segmentation of the structure into matching trapezoids.

计算模型还允许计算每个部分的建造顺序，以及30’000个粘土圆柱的每个位置。机器人手臂将它们压在结构上的特定方向对于确保不同部分之间的适当结合尤为重要。最后，该模型包含了运行机器人工艺所需的所有制造数据，允许实现无与伦比的几何复杂性的定制结构。

The computational model also allowed computing the building sequence within each segment as well as the position of each one of the 30’000 clay cylinders. The particular orientation in which the robotic arm pressed them onto the structure was particularly important to ensure proper bonding between the different segments. Finally, the model contains all the fabrication data needed to run the robotic process that allows the realization of bespoke structures of unmatched geometry complexity.

材料和工艺。材料系统的优化是结构性能的关键。对于粘土旋转平台，已经测试了粘土、沙子、小石头和水的不同成分，目的是在制造过程所需的延展性、最高的抗压强度和最小的材料收缩之间找到最佳平衡。开发的粘土混合物被挤压成所谓的软砖，即直径为9厘米、高为15厘米的圆柱体，由机械臂从采摘站抓取，精确定向，并依次压入其最终位置。

Material and process. The optimisation of the material system is key for the performance of the structure. For the Clay Rotunda different compositions of clay, sand, small stones and water have been tested with the aim of finding the best balance between the malleability needed by the fabrication process, the highest compressive strength, and the minimal material shrinkage. The developed clay mix is extruded into so-called soft bricks, cylinders with a diameter of 9 cm and a height of 15 cm, which are grabbed by the robotic arm from a picking station, precisely oriented, and sequentially pressed into their final position.

约60%的原始高度的压缩确保了强大的和互锁的聚合，导致了一种软的结合，既表达了材料的可塑性，也表达了制造过程的动态力量。定制的机器人–现场制造者–必须为每一个部分移动，以解决结构的全部规模。机器人的移动以及新材料的收缩引起的变形需要通过3D扫描定期获取建成后的几何形状。对干燥过程中产生的不可避免的裂缝进行积极监测，并定期用相同的粘土混合物进行填充。

The compression of about 60% of the original height assures a strong and interlocking aggregation, leading to a soft bond that expresses both the plasticity of the material and the dynamic forces of the fabrication process. The custom robot – the in-situ fabricator – had to be moved for every single segment in order to address the full scale of the structure. This relocation of the robot as well as the deformation of the fresh material caused by its shrinkage required a regular acquisition of the as-built geometry through 3D scanning. The unavoidable cracks that resulted from the drying process were actively monitored and regularly filled with the same clay mix.

可持续性。粘土旋转平台解决了减少材料消耗的迫切需要，以及恢复到无排放的材料来制造我们的建筑环境。机器人粘土聚集过程结合了传统的粘土建筑知识和当代的数字设计和制造过程。对材料和工艺的控制程度的提高，使得建造复杂的结构超越了传统上的可能性。

Sustainability. The Clay Rotunda addresses the urgent need of reducing material consumption as well as revert to emission-free materials for the fabrication of our built environment. The robotic clay aggregation process combines the traditional knowledge of clay constructions with contemporary digital design and fabrication processes. The increased degree of control on both material and process allows building complex structures that go beyond what has traditionally been possible.

粘土还具有调节建筑物内部气候的优良特性，从而减少对机械通风的需求，为所有居民创造舒适的环境。最后，土质建筑是完全无废料的，因为使用过的粘土混合物可以被研磨并完全重复使用。取之于自然的东西可以完全回归于自然？

Clay also has excellent properties in regulating the interior climate of buildings, thus reducing the need for mechanical ventilation and creating comfort for all inhabitants. Finally, earthen constructions are entirely waste-free, since the used clay mix can be ground and fully reused. What is taken from nature can be returned entirely to nature?

Architects: Gramazio Kohler Research
Year: 2021
Client:SE MUSICLAB AG – Jürgen Strauss, Jost Kutter, Manuel Frick, Lorenzo Zanetta, Filippo Melena, Anna Imfeld-Aebischer, Markus Imfeld
Collaborators:Coralie Ming (project lead), David Jenny, Hannes Mayer, Edurne Morales, Anton Johansson, Indra Santosa, Jomana Baddad, Nicolas Feihl, Selen Ercan Jenny, Jesus Medina, Karol Wojtas
Support :Mike Lyrenmann and Philippe Fleischmann (Robotic Fabrication Laboratory, ETH Zurich), Andi Reusser (Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zurich)
Selected Experts:Seforb Sàrl – Joerg Habenberger, Gotham design studio
Selected Contractors:LEHMAG AG – Felix Hilgert
Industry Partner:Brauchli Ziegelei AG, Wirz AG Bauunternehmung
Sponsors :Wirz AG Bauunternehmung, Welti Furrer, Eberhard, Siemens, Geberit, ETH Zürich Foundation
City:Bern
Country:Switzerland