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Structure-inflating construction tech could give 3D printing a run for its money

Structure-inflating construction tech could give 3D printing a run for its money
Automatic Construction CEO Alex Bell stands atop a prototype building which was constructed using his company's Flexible Factory Formwork system
Automatic Construction CEO Alex Bell stands atop a prototype building which was constructed using his company's Flexible Factory Formwork system
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Automatic Construction CEO Alex Bell stands atop a prototype building which was constructed using his company's Flexible Factory Formwork system
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Automatic Construction CEO Alex Bell stands atop a prototype building which was constructed using his company's Flexible Factory Formwork system
Bell tells us that he ultimately hopes to have the rebar, tension cables and other reinforcing elements preinstalled within the forms
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Bell tells us that he ultimately hopes to have the rebar, tension cables and other reinforcing elements preinstalled within the forms
The PVC form stays in place on the finished structure, forming a waterproof and airtight barrier
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The PVC form stays in place on the finished structure, forming a waterproof and airtight barrier
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We've heard how 3D-printed concrete buildings can be constructed quickly and easily, but could there be an even faster and simpler method? According to American inventor Alex Bell, there most certainly is – and it involves inflating buildings, then pumping concrete into them.

When we last heard from Bell, he had created a quirky front-wheel-drive bike with under-the-seat steering, known as the Bellcycle.

His new construction technique, called Inflatable Flexible Factory Formwork (IFFF), has been commercialized via his New York City-based startup, Automatic Construction. Here's a quick explanation of how it works …

The process begins with a truck delivering a rolled-up PVC (polyvinyl chloride) fabric "form" to the construction site. That flexible form is not unlike a giant version of a rolled up, deflated camping mattress.

After the form has been laid in place, air pumps are used to inflate its walls and roof. This causes it to pop up, taking on the three-dimensional shape of the finished structure. Next, locally sourced wet concrete is pumped into the walls and roof of the form, displacing the air inside.

Once that concrete has set, the result is a solid concrete building shell. The form is not removed from that shell, since it now serves as a waterproof, airtight, and thus energy-saving barrier. Features such as doors, windows, interior drywall and exterior siding are then added.

The PVC form stays in place on the finished structure, forming a waterproof and airtight barrier
The PVC form stays in place on the finished structure, forming a waterproof and airtight barrier

In the prototype structures created so far, rebar reinforcements have also been added onsite. However, Bell tells us that he ultimately hopes to have the rebar, tension cables and other reinforcing elements preinstalled within the forms.

But just how quickly do the buildings go up?

"For our 100 square foot [9.3 sq m] and 200 square foot [18.6 sq m] prototypes, the inflation took seven to 10 minutes with air," he said. "Then the concrete pump filled them in 1.5 hours. Including labor, our prototypes only cost $20 per square foot. This is significantly cheaper than anything else."

Bell's team is now selling homes direct to customers in New York's Hudson Valley, with one project currently underway and another two signed. He tells us that his company has also signed one contract with a "large commercial contractor" to deliver a structure, and signed another contract to deliver a box culvert to an infrastructure contractor.

Along with homes, commercial buildings and infrastructure-related projects, other envisioned applications of the IFFF technology include swimming pool foundations, rapid-deploy military structures and perhaps even one day skyscrapers, or structures on Mars for use by astronauts.

Source: Automatic Construction

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9 comments
9 comments
TangoBravo
New invention, lol. Monolithic, a company in Texas, has been building this type of structure all over the US for more than 2 decades that I know of. Some 15 years ago, the last time I checked, you could rent the inflatable bags and everything else from them. They even had/have classes where they teach how to build them to anyone interested. I am sure they can answer any questions Mr. Alex Bell might have in dealing with structural reinforcement engineering.
I have no association with Monolithic. I just like to keep tabs on things given the fact that I am a trained Civil Engineer.
lol
paul314
If it's anything like the buildings I've seen poured with fabric formwork, right angles, straight lines and flat surfaces are not something you're going to get. A lot of people may be ok with that in return for speed and low cost. (And if the outside is getting some kind of siding and the inside is getting insulation and sheetrock, no one will see the concrete.)
TechGazer
Yes, more anti-green concrete buildings are just what the world needs.

Where rapid construction is critical, there must be other, superior methods. Furthermore, such applications probably don't require the durability of concrete (it might even be a downside when the need for the building passes). I expect that most situations requiring rapid construction don't have a concrete supplier nearby.

As a concrete construction method, I don't see why this method is superior to popping up a fabric&frame (or inflated fabric/plastic) form and spraying concrete on it. I think the latter technique provides better control over deformation (bulging, bending). Tightly-controlled inflatable forms are probably complex and thus expensive, and probably make it difficult to flow the concrete evenly.

Not impressed.
LiamKoot
Definitely not a new technology at all. Wallace Neff was creating "bubble" houses back in the 1930's which were formed by inflating a balloon/bladder and covering with concrete. I remember seeing this same type of construction techniques in South Africa as affordable housing. At least the bubble/igloo houses allowed you to have proper reinforcing in the concrete which made them near extremely strong.
Alex
Hello All, thanks for comments.

Monolithic/bubbles/ https://iass-structures.org/ has done great work as an engineering association over the years covering these kinds of structures. They are quite different than Automatic Construction as they are curved domes vs flat walls/sides. Also they use shotcrete over laid forms vs our cast walls. So different in terms of labor required.
jerryd
It looks like an inferior product and much labor needing to finish it, make it strong enough.
Better would be factory made stucco/mesh skinned foam cored SIP walls, roof done right, finished with electrical in, painted/stucco color and assembled in a day or 2 finished, not a shell still needing insulation, painting, electrical, plumbing, etc.
I like the balloon for the mold and spray what is basically stucco over wire reinforcement in place then remove the inflatable mold.
Kevon Lindenberg
Hey Alex, thank you for replying with your comparison. I was just headed over to the website to ask them the differences. It certainly doesn't seem any different than monolithic domes on the face of it other than the shapes and even then I can't imagine why anyone would want a non-dome structure when it saves a massive amount of concrete and their tech also has insulation as a layer making it one of the most efficient building types possible.
Uncle Anonymous
I think this is a viable means to get people housed quickly. Done right, these could make nice tiny homes and be a good source of housing in emergencies. My only concern would be long-term viability considering how cement and concrete can crack over time.
dcris
Yes 'shotcrete'...creating a fabric structure with rebar has been around for decades via megalithic domes in Texas. And in comparison much better than this model. But...one idea leads to another. Would personally prefer 3D printing like ApisCore in Florida https://apis-cor.com/ ...fast and creative up to 3 floors high. But would be nice to find alternatives to concrete/cement for all the energy they consume in manufacturing.