Reducing wood waste by respecting its natural form through AI
Mass wood has emerged as a sustainable alternative to replace concrete components in construction, as the latter contributes only 8% of global CO2 emissions. With various examples at different scales and applications, the material promises to revolutionize the industry by increasing performance, strength and comfort. Even when dealing with highly standardized and efficient processes in the manufacture of structural components, there is always room for improvement and waste reduction. The main reason for this is that the traditional industrial process of cutting log sections can generate large amounts of waste.
In this context, AI Timber has emerged as an innovative construction material designed to reduce waste while preserving the natural form of trees. Instead of using traditional methods that involve cutting individual logs into standardized boards, AI Timber ingeniously uses artificial intelligence to fit these logs together like perfectly assembled puzzle pieces. To gain more insight into this initiative and the future of this material, we spoke with Carlo Ratti and Mykola Murashko, who coordinated the project.
Being a natural material, wood always reflects the growing conditions of the tree, including factors such as climate, prevailing winds or its location in the forest. When examining the cross-section of a log, different parts such as sapwood and heartwood can be distinguished, each with specific strengths and characteristics. The manner in which a log is cut and split into boards or structural pieces plays an important role in defining the functionality and characteristics of the resulting sections. The innovation behind AI Timber is to use the natural contours of the pieces to reduce waste without disrupting the wood fibers. AI algorithms and digital machining tools were used to scan a set of raw logs, convert them into boards and determine the optimal arrangement for their assembly. This results in wooden panels with interlocking boards that align perfectly, minimizing the removal of natural material from the tree. The method was developed by Maestro, a recently founded construction technology startup, born from the creative minds of CRA-Carlo Ratti Associates and developed in collaboration with students and researchers from MIT and Tongji University.
AI wood is inspired by nature itself. With the right technology, we can work with natural forms rather than against them. – Carlo Ratti
The architect continues that “modern industrial production is about standardization, but each tree grows in a different direction. When you saw unique trees in uniform panels, you waste all the wood that doesn’t conform. For a typical CLT panel, up to 60% of the wood you cut goes to the mulch or incinerator. Our method is different. We use LiDAR technology and AI to scan a set of raw logs and fit them together like puzzle pieces – with minimal cutting and using all available wood.
As for the technology itself, Mykola Murashko, CEO and co-founder of Mystro Technologies, says, “Without AI, it wouldn’t be possible to make this stuff. The technology allows us to calculate the optimal means of sawing a set of logs to reduce wood waste. Specifically, our algorithm minimizes the loss function related to the volume of wood that needs to be cut to set the lamellae in the CLT layer. Maestro has built an integrated pipeline to deploy this technology into production – connecting imaging technology with AI to generate custom machine instructions for sawmills and CNCs. Our AI-driven pipeline allows us to deliver the right craftsmanship at industrial speed.”
When you respect the original contours of the tree, you not only save a huge amount of wood – you get a beautiful, unique shape as a result. – Mykola Murashko
“Beyond aesthetics, the intermeshed lamellas in CLT panels improve the structural performance of the panel by acting against shear forces,” adds Mykola. In other words, the material holds itself together. This, in the future, may allow us to use less glue in CLT production.
The main objective of the project is to use technology to bridge design and manufacturing gaps, enabling a network of suppliers to produce customized components on an unprecedented scale, thereby creating transportable and quality buildings. This method promises to make construction more efficient, faster and more environmentally friendly than ever before. Carlo Ratti adds, “Our construction startup Maestro is based on a wholesale plan to revolutionize how we build: AI wood is just the first piece. We create custom designs in a digital environment, then send them to a network of European factories. All customized parts ready Do. Like conducting a symphony, Maestro guides factories to build a building in sections, which are then shipped to the destination in a Maestro Flatpack.”
Prefabrication eliminates all the time and expense of a traditional construction site – final assembly is as easy as assembling the pieces. Lightweight, customizable materials like AI timber make this method possible. It will make construction cheaper, greener and higher quality than anything we have done before.” – Carlo Ratti
The first prototype of AI Timber was created in Shanghai earlier this summer at the DigitalFUTURES conference organized by Tongji University professor Philip Yuan. In a week-long workshop, Murashko and Nikita Klimenko from MIT guided an international team of researchers in using AI and wood to create a proof-of-concept structure – using a small interactive triangular pavilion system.
Master Team: Carlo Ratti, Mykola Murashko, Nikita Klimenko, Ginevra Nazari
Tongji University and Digital Future Team: Adelaide Tremori, Dan Luo, Filippo Innocenti, Hongsheng Jiang, Hanlin Dong, Jin Gao, Jinghan Wu, Lijun Xiao, Maria Francesca Totti, Guglielmo Sobrini, Kiming Sun, Ruipeng Wang, Wenlei Yang, Wenzuo Zhao, Xu Cheng, Yangan Wu, Xu Cheng Huang, Ziying Qi, Toto Tan, Zhihao Zhou, Ziyi Lin
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: The future of Wood in architecture Presenter Tantimber Thermowood.
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