REGROW WILLOW – DIGITAL CIRCULAR CONSTRUCTION FOR EARTH–WILLOW HYBRID STRUCTURES

ReGrow Willow presents a willow–earth hybrid system for architectural and construction applications that enables circular material cycles through bespoke digital fabrication processes and computational tools. It incorporates lightweight, mobile, and adaptable fabrication equipment and promotes a long-term circular approach while embracing a low-impact concept that can deliver immediate reductions in energy and material consumption. Expanding on earlier research that reinterpreted the vernacular wattle and daub material system through digital design and fabrication (Zanetti et al., 2023), this research leverages willow, a rapidly renewable material that grows up to 2m annually and replenishes each year after harvesting through short rotation coppice (SRC) practices. As a bio-based material, willow can be composted at the end of its life cycle, offering a circular disposal option. ReGrow Willow’s objective is to demonstrate a comprehensive construction system utilising willow in combination with earth, a material that retains its recyclability indefinitely without loss of value (Morel et al., 2021). The synergistic combination of these two materials, with willow serving as tensionreinforcement for the earth, is advanced through tailored computational workflows. ... mehrThe development of customised fabrication processes hints at the scalability potential of the prefabricated building elements, while integrative digital design tools manage the interdependencies between architectural design, material systems, structural performance, and fabrication processes.