Fabric Forms concrete, material of the future?

Designers in California come up with a new building material

In the U.S., designers Ron Culver and Joseph Sarafian carried out a project at the University of California, which they believe could be used to create radical new architectural forms, reports Dezeen.

The Fabric Forms project involves pouring a concrete fibreglass mixture into Y-shaped Lycra sleeves stretched into position by six-axis robots. "This casting method has implications at various scales in the construction site of the future," said Joseph Sarafian. "We see it being scaled up to create unique building facade elements," he added.

According to its creators, Fabric Forms would reduce labour and material costs, as well as being faster than traditional construction methods.

Once the concrete is set, the fabric is then stripped away, leaving minimal waste. The pieces take approximately 45 minutes to harden and are fixed together using a 3D-printed coupler to create larger assemblies.