RECONFIGURABLE WOOD ARCHITECTURE. A CYBER-PHYSICAL APPROACH FOR CIRCULAR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
PhD: ANJA KUNIC
Supervisor:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Roberto Naboni
PhD Evaluation Committee:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nebojša Jakica (University of Southern Denmark)
Prof. Dr. Kathrin Dörfler (TU Munich)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gilles Retsin (UCL Bartlett)
ABSTRACT
Wood, as a naturally renewable and carbon-storing building material, offers a transformative opportunity to address the climate challenges significantly impacted by the construction industry’s contributions to global carbon emissions, waste generation, and resource depletion. Its lightweight construction, ease of machinability, and structural resilience position it as a cornerstone for advancing circular and sustainable architectural practices. Despite its potential, conventional timber construction methods demonstrate low levels of circularity, often relying on irreversible, material-damaging connections and discarding timber that retains high structural and material value prematurely. The reuse of timber is further complicated by the lack of essential information regarding its origin, usage history, and performance properties.
This PhD thesis investigates how interlinked computational and robotic technologies can transform timber construction and support circular building practices for extended carbon capture. By focusing on implementing data-driven design-to-construction value chains, the research developed an interdisciplinary framework for reconfigurable timber construction, integrating design for disassembly (DfD) principles, human-robot collaboration, and cyber-physical systems to enable seamless material data tracking across multiple life cycles. The design of reconfigurable wood architecture and its associated construction processes is recognised as one of the fundamental principles in this thesis, essential for extending the lifecycle of materials and enhancing their carbon storage potential. This reduces pressure on forests and curtails the irresponsible exploitation of virgin resources.
To advance reconfigurable timber construction, the research approach was based on a methodological framework with three pillars. (1) Reconfigurable Tectonics - A voxel-based computational design method was developed to quickly generate and evaluate structurally efficient configurations following stress-driven principles based on a discrete kit of parts. The structural and tectonic features of the construction parts are conceived to facilitate multiple uses and robot-friendly handling, enabling virtually infinite cycles of automated assembly, disassembly, and reassembly. (2) Cyber-Physical Construction - Collective and collaborative workflows between sensor-equipped robots and Mixed Reality-augmented humans were established to enable continuous feedback loops between digital design/planning and physical fabrication/assembly. This enables real-time adaptation of building processes and seamless information exchange across project phases. (3) Material Data - Methods for embedding, storing, and sharing digital information associated with the physical materials were investigated to enhance the performance of design-construction interoperability and inform future decisions around reuse, repair, and disassembly, further supporting the reconfigurable nature of the system.
Adopting this framework, the doctoral research progressed through a research-by-design approach, resulting in two iterative cycles of experimental prototypes. The first cycle developed proof-of-concept reversible timber framing, assembled and disassembled through collaborative human-robot workflows augmented by Mixed Reality. Insights from this phase informed the advancement of voxel-based design and engineering workflows, as well as fundamental tectonic and operational features for reconfigurable timber systems, characterising the second, proof-of-system cycle.
These developments culminated in the creation of the ReconWood system – an automated solution for flexible wood framing relying on the versatility of a discrete kit of parts to obtain optimised design configurations tailored to specific load cases and architectural scenarios. By employing adaptive design principles, continuous material tracking, and cyber-physical construction processes, ReconWood introduces a tangible solution for buildings that respond dynamically to changing functional and environmental demands, ensuring data-informed resource utilisation throughout their lifecycle.
This approach fundamentally redefines the integration of materials, technologies, and construction workflows, creating a practical pathway to realising timber’s full potential as a sustainable, circular building material. By addressing the challenges of conventional timber construction, the ReconWood framework demonstrates a vision for a future where buildings are not static endpoints but dynamic systems—designed to evolve and regenerate in harmony with the planet’s resources.