The second funding period of the Collaborative Research Centre TRR 277 “Additive Manufacturing in Construction” (AMC)" is started in 2024 and entitled "The Opportunity for Large Impact." It focuses on advancing material-process interactions, exploring innovative combinations, integrating computational modelling with structural design, and reducing environmental impact across materials, components, and building systems.
Project C06 in the first funding period addressed the fragmented state of the construction industry by exploring bidirectional cyber-physical production systems, with a focus on Shotcrete 3D Printing (SC3DP) through case studies in the Digital Building Fabrication Laboratory (DBFL), including automated quality control, surface finishing, and productivity analysis.
In the second funding period, the C06 project, titled "Integration of Additive Manufacturing into a Cyber-Physical Construction System (CPCS)," aims to explore cyber-physical design and manufacturing strategies for high-quality additive manufacturing, facilitate interactive data exchange within a cyber-physical construction system, and conduct productivity analyses. This phase addresses the fragmented and non-digital nature of today’s construction processes by advancing continuously digital workflows through the Digital Construction Site and additive manufacturing technologies. The project investigates Cyber-Physical Construction Systems that integrate entire element systems rather than isolated components, using robotic production, digital monitoring, and productivity analysis to enable automated, optimized, and scalable construction processes.
Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry (IGP) focuses on investigation into data acquisition, data feedback,
and robots/objects tracking through the following work packages:
WP 1.3: Integration of Geometric Inspection and Digital Twinning in Design and Construction
The main objective of this work package is to investigate how quality control and digital twinning strategies influence—and are influenced by—the design process, integrating fabrication feasibility, sensing, logistics, and automation considerations to update the digital representation of element systems during and after production.
WP2.2: Sensor Selection and Inspection Planning
The objective of this work package is to integrate optimal sensor selection and inspection strategies into the entire production process, enabling a bidirectional control loop that supports geometric quality control, efficient workflow, object and robot tracking, and continuous updates to the 4D-BIM/FIM model in close collaboration with related projects.
WP 3.2: Multi-Member Localisation
This work package investigates and implements near real-time localisation and tracking of objects, sensors, and robots on construction sites, combining direct optical tracking, indirect methods using passive nodes or data-driven approaches, and hybrid solutions to enhance automation, data flow, and reliability in complex and cluttered environments.
WP 3.3: Feedback Loop and Digital Twinning
Quality control and feedback into the 4D-BIM/FIM are developed and implemented, adapting previous methods to the current demonstrator to ensure accurate as-built geometry, support subsequent production steps, and enable continuous monitoring and digital twinning across assembly and printing processes.
Principal Investigator C06:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Patrick Schwerdtner,
Jun.-Prof. Dr. sc. ETH. Norman Hack
Associated researcher:
Staff/PhD student:
