Bamboo concrete shells

This paper proposes an on site construction support system using digital techniques to solve the issue of logistical inconvenience on remote islands, where industrialized construction methods are absent. Transporting heavy machinery is costly and difficult in isolated rural areas. In addition, introducing materials from outside creates a heavy ecological footprint when building. Locally produced construction materials resolve many of these issues. To test the potential of building within these constraints a case study site on an isolated island of Japan, named Kuchinoerabu, was chosen. A concrete shell structure was created using locally sourced bamboo as reinforcement. Through the study, several technical issues are revealed. Significantly, there is broad variation in the material properties of bamboo, and reducing errors when using unskilled labor is difficult. The system nominally manages the following functions: 1) Synchronizing data between CAD and the materialized form; 2) Checking errors between the target form and the one that was actually produced; 3) Inputting material characteristics on site. 4) Making a structural analysis, and reflecting its execution during construction. These functions minimize the margin of error, and aid an unskilled labor force to work more accurately.