Past to Future: Revitalising Construction Systems

Ceiling systems, alongside the foundation, play a crucial role in advancing climate- and resource-conserving construction within the building sector. Innovations in these structural components directly contribute to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and resource consumption. Simultaneously, they unlock the potential for introducing new regional diversity in construction practices. However, the current research approach extends beyond the mere development of material-saving and climate-friendly components. The focus is on multimodal optimization using digital technologies. The starting point for this development involves leveraging effective historical building systems with well-established circular properties. The research explores alternatives for efficient ceiling structures using primarily mineral material combinations, focusing on two structural systems. As a uniaxially load-bearing system, the well-known traditional cap ceiling made of solid masonry and steel beams is transformed. By replacing emission-intensive steel beams and emphasizing the circular properties of the construction, the Global Warming Potential (GWP) is further reduced. This transformation enhances its multimodal properties, such as sound insulation and room acoustics, and broadens its application spectrum through robotic prefabrication. Meanwhile, the reinforced concrete ribbed slabs as a biaxially load-bearing system are investigated. Digital design methods facilitate the creation of material-saving, customizable 3D-printed formwork bodies, enabling formwork-free and zero-waste generation of complex geometries.