Abstract:

Concrete traditionally has been cast into static formwork made of wood or metal to create rectilinear solids according to specifications in construction drawings. Static formwork consists of sheets of materials held in place by hardware and structural bracing. This laborious bracing process is done to counteract the deflection of the formwork caused by the pressure forces of concrete in its plastic stage. Most of the concrete structures formed through this construction method are very inefficient materially and structurally. This is because the finished concrete structure contains excess material where it is not structurally required.

Dynamic formwork is constructed of flexible materials that take advantage of the inherent weight and plasticity of concrete. It does this by allowing both concrete and formwork to deflect and shift. The tensile material retains the pressure forces exerted by the 'wet' concrete mass thus reducing the formwork to a few pieces of fabric sewn together. Such a light and cheap formwork can be constructed and used anywhere in the world by unskilled labor. Technologically, the fabric allows the concrete to 'breathe' by allowing excess water to escape. This reduction in water increases the concrete to water ratio, which gives the concrete more strength and an immaculate surface finish.

Through this thesis, I will develop at full scale, a set of flexible formworks and resultant casts. The formworks will yield results that are not predetermined through traditional construction documents, but instead are based on other methods of representation and fabrication. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)