Moving masonry blocks can be a difficult task. Lugging a bulky heavy load is all but a breeze. This is why Matter Design has come up with a masonry building block design that can be moved even by only one person without the use of any tools. Each construction block can weigh up to 25 tonnes each.
Matter Design is a top-tier architectural research and design firm. Over the years, the design firm has produced unique outputs from rigorous work.
Brandon Clifford, MIT's assistant professor and the director of Matter Design spearheaded the production of "Walking Assembly," The design of the construction blocks was inspired by ancient civilization's construction methods where incredible engineering marvels have been put up without the use of modern machinery and technology.
The structure of each block is designed to be transported with ease, eliminating the need for people to carry around such bulky and heavy construction elements from one point to another.
For a long time, structures that would require such building materials would, in turn, call for heavy machineries like cranes and lifts. The intelligent construction block could be assembled with as little energy needed as possible.
The design and research company worked in collaboration with CEMEX to come up with a working model of the construction blocks. CEMEX is a Mexican multilingual building material company.
Although the "Walking Assembly" cannot be lifted by one person, it can be pivoted, tilted, and walked into place.
The form of the concrete and the variable density together with the calibrated center of mass makes it easy for a person to control the stable but easy transportation of each block. Matter Design explains that this ensures each massive element can be successfully walked and assembled into place. This also guarantees that no crane would be needed to transport each heavy construction block.
Other than the spectacle of seeing people move huge blocks when getting the blocks into position, the advantage of this approach is evident when the blocks are carried by hand into locations where trucks and trains cannot access.
This new method is being scouted as a more efficient way to go about 3-D printing for houses.
Although the new building product is still in its development stage, this type of innovation could certainly end up playing a bigger role in construction and architecture.
Walking Assembly from matter design on Vimeo.
