Nicolas Henry P Rogeau

Nicolas Rogeau is an engineer architect interested in parametric design and sustainable construction. In 2018, he graduated with a master degree in architecture and civil engineering from Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium. During his studies, Nicolas spent one year in Quebec City at Université Laval, where he got interested in timber structures and digital fabrication. His master thesis entitled “Parametric Design of Drone-Compatible Architectural Timber Structures”, which was presented at MIT during the annual IASS symposium, got two alumni awards for best innovation and best presentation. Since 2018, Nicolas has been working as a scientific and teaching assistant at the laboratory for timber construction, IBOIS, EPF Lausanne, where he collaborates with engineers, architects and computer scientists in order to design innovative timber structures. Nicolas is also part of the NCCR Digital Fabrication since March 2019 and he is currently working on the robotic assembly of timber plate structures.

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Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations, and comes from Latin constructio (from com- "together" and struere "to pile up") and Old French

Timber framing (Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers

Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, char

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Robotic Assembly of Integrally-Attached Timber Plate Structures: From Computational Design to Automated Construction

Nicolas Henry P Rogeau

The digitization of timber construction, the emergence of engineered wood products, and the urgent need to drastically reduce buildings' environmental impact have given a rebirth to wood as a construction material. On the one hand, increasing the use of timber in building technology has the potential to transform cities into carbon sinks. On the other hand, the growing availability of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines and industrial robotic arms makes woodworking less labor-intensive, less time-consuming, and thus more cost-effective. Besides, recent advances in Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) have paved the way for a wide range of architectural and structural design possibilities by overcoming this organic material's inherent limitations.It is within this context that a significant focus has been put on Integrally-Attached Timber Plate Structures (IATPS) at the Laboratory for Timber Constructions (IBOIS, EPFL) since the last decade. This innovative yet sustainable construction system combines traditional craft with state-of-the-art technology. Timber panels are cut with a CNC and connected with timber joints inspired by ancient woodworking techniques to create spatial structures that can reach up to 50 m without glue or screws. A significant asset lies in the possibility of building both standard and bespoke buildings from simple flat-packed panels whose pre-cut shape informs the assembly. While previous research has focused on the computational design and digital fabrication of IATPS, this thesis has, for the first time, investigated the automation of the assembly process. The objective was to determine the feasibility of assembling these structures with a robotic arm and to identify the influence of assembly constraints on the design.The methodology adopted a multidisciplinary approach integrating architectural, civil engineering, robotics, and computer science considerations. First, a computational framework was developed to enable a streamlined workflow from architectural design to robotic construction. This included the parametrization of timber joints, the implementation of algorithms to address modular assembly sequences, and a collaboration with an industrial partner to simulate robot trajectories within the design interface. Second, full-scale experiments were carried out with a 6-axis industrial robotic arm to assess and tackle the challenges associated with the robotic insertion of timber panels. A feedback loop relying on computer vision was developed to improve the robot's accuracy. In addition, design guidelines were established to determine an optimal shape for timber joints to reduce friction forces during insertion.A key achievement of the thesis is to have made IATPS more accessible to the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) community through the release of Manis, an open-source Grasshopper plugin. This integrated design tool automates the 3D modeling of timber joints, the generation of CNC cutting files and robot instructions, as well as the creation of Finite Element meshes for subsequent structural analysis. Furthermore, the thesis gives new perspectives on mass timber construction by providing a framework for the industrial implementation of wood-wood connections in automated prefabrication lines. It proposes an innovative assembly process that requires no mechanical fasteners or chemical bonding and is fully automated from design to construction.

EPFL2023

The Land of a Thousand Dances is an interdisciplinary one-week workshop for architecture, civil engineering, and environmental sciences students at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). The course proposes to study design through maintenance, by following the evolution of a timber pavilion built by EPFL first year architecture students in Evian, close to the Grange au Lac concert hall realized by Patrick Bouchain, in 2019. During the first edition, in 2021, the pavilion was redesigned to be considered as a public garden. During the second edition, in 2022, the pavilion was dismantled and some parts have been reused on the EPFL campus while maintaining its original purpose as a sociable public space. For five intensive days, teachers and students will work together on-site to take care of the site and the structure. First, the site's current condition and needs will be identified and traced to establish the framework of the intervention. Participants will form a hypotheses formulated by observing site uses, time, climate, and gravity on the existing structure. Next, the participants will select parts of interest in the greater site and investigate potential reconfigurations and adjustments. Finally, parts of the structure identified as in need of maintenance and evolution will be carefully disassembled and reworked. A precise documentation of the interventions will be collected, in order to pass the knowledge and the memory of the place to the team who will succeed. The two previous editions of the workshop have highlighted a few key findings. First, working on-site allows several back-and-forths between observation, measurement, and re-action in a productive and inventive exchange. It empowers students, making them responsible to develop a project they can realize by themselves, adapted to the site, the users and their uses. Second, working with a multidisciplinary team of participants is a stimulator for integrating social and environmental considerations. It allows the development of interventions that do not rely solely on construction but also on actions, such as gardening or mobilizing users and decision-makers. Third, continuing yearly the same project anchors it in a long time frame. This creates the necessary setting for the participants to perceive the act of care and maintenance as an act of design.

2023

A Collaborative Workflow to Automate the Design, Analysis, and Construction of Integrally-Attached Timber Plate Structures

Pierre Latteur, Aryan Rezaei Rad, Nicolas Henry P Rogeau, Petras Vestartas, Yves Weinand

This paper introduces a computational framework that fosters collaboration between architects, engineers, and contractors by bridging the gap between architectural design, structural analysis, and digital construction. The present research is oriented toward the formulation of an automatic design-to-construction pipeline for Integrally-Attached Timber Plate Structures (IATPS). This construction system is based on assembling timber panels through the sole interlocking of wood-wood connections inspired by traditional Japanese joinery. Prior research focused on developing distinct computational workflows and dealt with the automation of 3D modelling, numerical simulation, fabrication, and assembly separately. In the current study, a single and interactive design tool is presented. Its versatility is demonstrated through two case studies, as well as the assembly of a physical prototype with a robotic arm. Results indicate that efficiency in terms of data flow and stakeholder synergy is considerably increased. The proposed approach contributes to the†Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 by facilitating the collaborative design of sustainable timber structures. Besides, the research also contributes to SDG 9 as it paves the way for sustainable industrialisation of the timber construction sector through streamlined digital fabrication and robotic assembly processes. This reduces manufacturing time and associated costs while leveraging richer design possibilities.

CAADRIA2022

PENS-222: The land of a thousand dances

Considérons l'acte d'entretenir comme un potentiel de projet : observons les usages et les usures qui en découlent pour développer et réaliser des interventions permettant de conforter, adapter, supprimer, augmenter les dynamiques relevées. Cette troisième itération se déroule sur le campus EPFL.

PENS-319: Ludic streets

Ce cours se focalise sur la conception de l'espace public et sur les rapports qu'il entretient avec les usages. Au prisme de la place de l'enfant en ville, les étudiant.e.s construiront des dispositifs ludiques dans le cadre d'un programme de revalorisation de rues mené par la Ville de Lausanne.

Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations, and comes from Latin constructio (from com- "together" and struere "to pile up") and Old French

Timber framing (Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers

Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, char