This thesis explores the application of swarm robotics in addressing construction sites' dynamic and complex challenges by using them as material handling units. Despite significant technological advances, the construction industry continues to face substantial challenges related to the human workforce, including skilled labor shortages, high safety risks, and inefficient communication, all of which impede productivity and safety. Swarm robotics, inspired by the decentralized behaviors of social insects, offers a promising solution to these issues by enabling distributed task management and enhanced flexibility and robustness in dynamic environments.

The research specifically investigates the implementation of swarm robotics as an adaptive on-site logistics system for dynamic construction sites. Using Ant Colony Optimization, a path-planning swarm intelligence-based algorithm derived from the foraging behavior of ants, this study examines the algorithm’s applicability for enhancing material handling within the unpredictable conditions of construction sites. The study includes the development of an architectural scenario for a virtual simulation environment and practical experiments on two different architectural scenarios to evaluate the effectiveness of swarm robotics in real construction scenarios.

This study demonstrates the advantages of decentralized control in swarm robotics for enhancing operational efficiency, reducing safety risks, and improving communication on construction sites. The outcomes include the development of a Design-to-Construction workflow using a scalable and resilient construction logistics system that takes advantage of the unique capabilities of swarm robotics. This outcome has the potential to revolutionize construction practices through the integration of advanced robotic technologies and decentralized management systems.

Additionally, virtual experiments as part of the workflow indicate that achieving optimal values for parameters in the simulation, such as the required number of robots and pheromone evaporation rate, is highly scenario-dependent. This conclusion highlights the necessity of using the developed workflow that enables designers and construction groups to create their desired architectural layouts, simulate their construction process, and optimize them for further construction using swarm robots, effectively bridging the gap from initial design to final construction.

The built environment faces the challenge of meeting the sustainable development goals of the Paris Agreement with regards to building emissions. One aspect of this challenge is the energy transition from fossil to more sustainable sources. A possible solution lies in the field of solar energy technology which, over the last decades, has become the main sustainable energy source globally. Various types of solar cells exist today, from large-scale solar parks to small strips of flexible organic photovoltaics, or OPV. In parallel, the field of tensile architecture provides answers to the materiality challenge of the same sustainable development goals. Tensile architecture is lightweight by nature, which reduces the material use. This reduction in turn limits the embodied carbon of the material.

The current body of knowledge regarding textile engineering shows a wide variety of different types of textiles in architecture. In parallel, the knowledge around the bending of semi-rigid elements such as the OPV strips supports their use in curved geometries. However, gaps remain relating to the use of uncoated textiles in tensile structures, as well as the non-adhesive integration of semi-rigid elements such as OPV strips.

Given the context, the main research question of this thesis was:
To what extent can an uncoated woven hybrid textile, using non-adhesively integrated solar cells, be applied in doubly curved tensile structures?

SUNTEX, a newly developed hybrid textile consisting of rPET yarns and slender OPV strips, defined the scope of this research. A number of design parameters was established to determine the largest possible surface area, or maximum coverage, of OPV strips on a hyperbolic parabola and a saddle surface between arches, or barrel vault. To this end, a two-step computational analysis, using the Easy and Rhino Grasshopper software packages was performed. The analysis tool was designed to be compatible with current, conventional design workflows.

Results from the research showed an OPV strip coverage on the hyperbolic parabola of 23%. This best case scenario was produced on a shape which was divided into 5 cutting pattern segments. The barrel vault supported a maximum of 30% of the total surface area. This coverage was achieved on a shape which was divided into 5 cutting pattern segments. These results are global optima, as either increasing or decreasing the numerical design parameters results in a reduction of coverage on both shapes.

The conclusion of this thesis is that SUNTEX can be applied on doubly curved surfaces with a coverage up to 30%, depending on the type of shape that is used in the design, as well as the right combination of design parameters. Within a design sequence, the iterative analysis method that was researched in this thesis should therefore be applied twice. Once at the early design stages, and once at the detailed design stage.
It is recommended that the design parameters are further explored to better understand their influence on the coverage on various shapes. Apart from that, the analysis method itself should be evaluated to reduce the run time, and improve of the accuracy of the results.

In light of the changing climate and the need for urban densification in the
Netherlands, this study analyzes the potential global warming impact (GWI)
of implementing bio-based insulation materials (BBIMs) in high-rises in Amsterdam.
A literature and market review led to the identification of straw, grass,
hemp, flax, wood-fiber, and cellulose insulation as the most relevant BBIMs in
the Dutch context because of local availability and potential scalability. From
an expert interview on fire-safety constraints of BBIMs, it was concluded that
a 12 mm layer of gypsum fiberboard is needed to ensure fire safety in high-rise
buildings for insulation materials which do not meet fire-safety class A1/A2.
The GWI of the BBIMs was compared with stone wool, glass wool, expanded
polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) through a dynamic Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA). The results consistently demonstrated optimal
GWI performance for the plant-based BBIMs, while XPS and cellulose typically
had the highest GWI. In a building case study, cumulative radiative forcing
values between 1.61e−8 W m−2 yr (cellulose) and −1.66e−8 W m−2 yr
(straw) were found in 2222. For the insulation of all 97.500 residential highrise
buildings which are to be built in Amsterdam until 2050, these values
were 2.50e−6 W m−2 yr (XPS) and −2.59e−6 W m−2 yr (straw). Annual
emissions savings of up to 587 tons of CO2-equivalents were projected when
switching from XPS to straw insulation. In working towards its 2050 climate
neutrality goals, the city of Amsterdam is advised to stimulate the implementation of BBIMs in all buildings, focusing on straw, grass and hemp in prefabricated façades.