Role
Associate Professor in Sustainable Technologies
Career overview
Director of Freeform Construction Ltd & the Termes Trust (Namibia)
- 2008-2010 University of Greenwich (School of architecture and construction) – Lecturer (part time)
- 2001- 2008 Loughborough University (Wolfson School of Mech and Man Eng and adjunct role to Civil and Building Engineering) – Senior Lecturer, The Rapid Manufacturing Consortium, The Freeform Construction Group
- 1999-2001 De Montfort University - Lecturer, course leader Rapid Product Development, member of the Rapid Manufacturing Consortium
- 1998-1999 De Montfort University - Completion of PhD lecturer in Mech and Man Eng
- 1995-1998 University of Nottingham - Commencement of PhD in Additive Manufacturing
- 1994-1995 University of Nottingham - MSc in Manufacturing Systems. Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Operations Management
- 1990-1993 University of Nottingham - BSc Hons. in Production and Operations Management including the 1993 PERA Award for research excellence
- 1987-1989 Basford Hall College - BTech in Construction Department of Construction and Surveying, Basford Hall College Nottingham.
Research areas
Current research:
From Swarm Intelligence to Living Buildings: Novel Concepts of Managing Internal Climates - collaboration between NTU, Harvard, Wyss Institute, Nat Centre for Biological Sciences
HFSP Program Grant $1.5m
Previous research:
1) Freeform Construction:
Mega-Scale rapid Manufacturing for Construction
Funding - IMRC £1,250,000
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Applying Future Industrialized Processes to Construction - CIB2007-193 World Building Congress, 14-18 May 2007, Cape Town, South Africa
- Freeform Construction: Mega-Scale Rapid Manufacturing For Construction - Automation in Construction.
I3Con: Integrated Utility Nodes via Rapid Manufacturing
Funding - EU FP6 £453,664
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Complete information can be found at i3con.
- Construction Processes for the Digital Trinity - ISBN 978-1-897911-32-7
Advanced Manufacturing Technologies for Architecture and Construction [archiFORM]
Funding - IMCRC £156,301
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Towards Breaking the Mould, WIC Conf- Digital Architecture and Computing - South Korea, Sept 2006.
- Architectural Freeform Construction: Does the future start here? Procs. CIB W55/65
- Visualisation and RM: A survey of architecture practise in the UK - Procs. at CIB W096 Adaptables Conf, 2 - 5 July 2006.
- Architectural Freeform Construction: Potential Use in Repair for Re-use, Maintenance and Manufacture of Building Components - COBRA 2006 CONF of RICS, ISBN: 978-1-84219-307-4
Bulk Aggregation and Rheopeptic Deposition FC Process [BAiRD]
Funding - IMCRC £95,000
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Freeform Construction Apps Research, Advances in Engineering Structures, Mechanics, Design and Construction
- Freeform Construction: Mega-scale Rapid Manufacturing for Construction - 2nd International Conference on RM , UK, March 2007
Integrating Design and Process Control for Freeform Construction [CoDesIgn]
Funding -
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Design, Data and Process Issues for Mega-Scale RM Machines used for Construction - AIC, pp923–929.
- Freeform Construction: Mega-scale Rapid Manufacturing for construction Automation in Construction
Application Research for Freeform Construction Processes [PrefCon]
Funding - IMCRC £53,000
Journal publications and outcomes:
- The Potential of Freeform Construction - Proc 16th International Symposium on Freeform Fabrication . Austin, Texas, US, 2005
- The Potential for Applying Freeform Processes To Construction - Proc. AEC2005, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2005
Ngim, D.B. (2009) (PhD)
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Design Optimization for Manufacture of Axisymmetric Continuum Structures using Metamorphic Development - IJSS
- Design optimization of consolidated granular-solid polymer prismatic beam using metamorphic development - IJSS
- Structural Optimisation for Freeform Construction Techniques - Doctoral Thesis at Loughborough University
Godbold, O. (2008) (PhD)
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Implications of Solid Freeform Fabrication on Acoustic Absorbers - Rapid Prototyping Journal
- Fabrication of Acoustic Absorbing Topologies Using Rapid Prototyping - Canadian Acoustics Assoc, Conf 2008
- Investigation of Passive Acoustic Attenuation geometries within Freeform Constructed Structures - Doctoral Thesis at Loughborough University
Modeen, T. (2008) (PhD)
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Ubiquitous Customization: the use of Rapid Manufacturing in Design and Architecture - Proc ARCOM 05 Conf, pp. 341-351 (vol. 1) ISBN 0-902896-93-8
- Design Ground: An Iconic Tactile Surface, Smart Architecture - ProcACADIA 2005, ed: Ataman, p. 192-199, ISBN 0-9772832-0-8
2) Biomimetics
3D-Mapping of Macrotermes michaelseni Mounds: Lessons for Human Construction?
Funding - EPSRC £421,000
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Complete information can be found at J Scott Turner’s webpage.
- Understanding Large-scale Passive Ventilation and Mound Regulation in Macrotermes michaelseni Mounds as a Template for Sustainable Construction Methods - ICE2008, Durban, South Africa, July 2008
- Beyond Biomimicry: What Termites Can Tell Us about Realizing the Living Building - I3Con, pp219- 237, ISBN 978-1-897911-32-7
Cognitive Trap Threshold in Macrotermes michaelseni Termites
Funding - ARO Neuro Program £50,000
Journal Publications and Outcomes:
- Bio-inspired Emergent Construction - proc 2005 IEEE Swarm Intelligence Symposium (SIS 2005)
3) Rapid Prototyping, Rapid Tooling and Rapid Manufacturing
Design Limits for Laminate Tooling for High Pressure Die Casting
Funding - EPSRC
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Design Limits of Un-bonded Laminate Tooling for Pressure Die-Casting - Proc Inst Mech Eng, Part B.
- Finishing Laminate Tooling with Stereolithography E.D.M. Electrodes - fifth Eu Conf on RP and Manuf, pp87-106
- Processing & Application of Rapid Prototyped Laminate Production Tooling - second Nat Conf on Developments in RP & Tooling pp 65-77
- Design of Laminate Tooling for High Pressure Die-casting - SPIE Rapid Product Development Technologies, pp198-210, ISBN: 0819423122
- Deflection and the Prevention of Ingress within Laminate Tooling for Pressure Die-Casting - SFF Symp 1997, pp307-317
- Laminate Tooling for the Production of Prototype Pressure Die-Cast Dies - TCT Conf 1998, pp332-343
Innovative Manuf of Rapid Die-Casting Tooling by Laminating for the Automotive Industry, IMI RADICAL
Funding - EPSRC GR/M75068/01
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Bonded and Un-bonded Laminated Tooling for Rapid Tooling within the Die-casting Industry - Trans. of NADS 2001 Congress pp 415-422
- Analysis of cooling channels performance for cycle time reduction using RM and CFD - Int J of Comp Int Manf
Norwood, A.J. (2007) (PhD)
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Surface Temperature of Tools in High Pressure Die-casting of Aluminium - Inst of Mech Eng
- A New Fatigue Test Procedure for Die Casting tool materials - Inst of Mech Eng, Part B
- Thermal Fatigue of Rapid Prototype Metallic Materials - Doctoral Thesis at Loughborough University
Enhanced RM: Applied Research and Modelling using 3D Printing
Funding - IMCRC £47,249
4) Smart Metal Structures by Ultrasonic Object Consolidation
A Model for Plastic Flow Phenomenon in Embedded Continuous Reinforced Fibre Composites by DFUOC
Funding - EPSRC/JGS £253,000
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Plastic Flow and Work Hardening of Al alloy substrates during UOC Fibre Embedding Process - Mat Sc & Eng A
- Characterization of Process for Embedding SiC Fibers in Al 6061 O Matrix through Ultrasonic Consolidation - J. Eng. Mat. Tech
- Thermomechanical Analyses of Ultrasonic Welding Process using Thermal and Acoustic Softening Effects - MechMat
Direct Fabrication of Smart Metal Structures by Ultrasonic Object Consolidation (DFUOC)
Funding - EPSRC £60,000
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Optimum Process Parameters for Ultrasonic Consolidation of 3003 Aluminium - J of Mat Proc Tech, ISSN 0921-5093
- Control Parameters for Aluminium 3003 under Ultrasonic Consolidation - Proc. thirteenth SFF Symp., 2002, pp. 199-211
Induced Plastic Deformation of Ultrasonic Consolidated Aluminium Alloy Specimens
Funding - IMCRC £50,000
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Characterisation of Aluminium Alloy 6061 for the Ultrasonic Consolidation Process - Mat Sc & Eng A
- Fabrication of Metal-Matrix Composites and Adaptive Composites using UOC Process - Mat Sc & Eng A
Plastic Flow in Metal Matrices Around Continuous Reinforced Fibre Composites by DFUOC
Funding - IMCRC £42,905
Journal publications and outcomes:
- A Model for Weld Strength in Ultrasonic Consolidated Components - IMechE Procs. Part C
- Method for Embedding Optical Fibres within Aluminium Matrix via Ultrasonic Consolidation - Applied Optics, pp. 6325-6333
Kong, C.Y. (2005) (PhD)
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Investigation of ultrasonic Consolidation for Embedding Active/Passive Fibres in Aluminium Matrices - Doctoral Thesis at Loughborough University
Johnson, K. (2006) (PhD)
Journal publications and outcomes:
- Adaptive embedded Ti structures by Ultrasonic Consolidation - Doctoral Thesis at Loughborough University
External activity
- Consultant in Digital Fabrication for Construction
- Editor Intelligent Building International
- Freelance Research
Sponsors and collaborators
Current Collaborators:
- J Scott Turner – State University of New York (USA)
- EnExG Laing O’Rourke - Construction
- Exploration Ltd - Architecture
- Radhika Nagpal - Harvard University (USA)
- L Mahadavan - The Wyss Institute (USA)
- Tata National Centre for Biological Sciences (India)
- The National Museum of Namibia
Past Collaborators:
- BAE Systems
- Siemens
- Kemlows Die Casting
- Warwick University
- Sheffield University
- Salford University
- Siant Gobain (formerly BPB)
- Foster and Partners
- Burro Happold
- DSTL / Qinetic
- Army Research Office (USA)
- Solidica Inc (USA)
- Weber
- University of Southern California (USA)
- Hull University
- Tekla Systems
Publications
Full list of publications can be found by clicking on 'go to publications' link above.
Selected publications:
SOAR, R. and ANDREEN, D., 2012. The role of additive manufacturing and physiomimetic computational design for digital construction, Architectural Design, Vol. 82, Issue 2 (March/April), pp.126-135 (DOIi: 10.1002/ad.1389) ISSN 0003-8504
NGIM, D.B., LIU, J.S. and SOAR, R.C. 2009. Design optimization of consolidated granular-solid polymer prismatic beam using metamorphic development, International Journal of Solids and Structures, Vol. 46, pp.726-740 (DOI: 10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2008.09.031) ISSN 0020-7683
BUSWELL, R.A., THORPE, A., SOAR, R.C. and GIBB, A.G.F. 2008. Design, data and process issues for mega-scale rapid manufacturing machines used for construction, Automation in Construction, Vol. 17, pp.923-929 (DOI:10.1016/j.autcon.2008.03.001) ISSN 0926-5805
MOU, C., SAFFARI, P., LI, D., ZHOU, K., ZHANG, L., SOAR, R. and BENNION, I., 2008. Smart structure sensors based on embedded fibre Bragg grating arrays in aluminium alloy matrix by ultrasonic consolidation, Measurement Science and Technology, Vol.20, 034013 (6pp) (DOI:10.1088/0957-0233/2013/034013) ISSN 1361-6501
Press expertise
- Biomimetics
- Digital Fabrication
- Additive Manufacturing
- 3D Printing
- Construction Technologies
- Termites and Swarm Agents