Our vision: a carbon neutral future made possible by resource efficient buildings that are designed to serve as material banks.
Today’s concrete is high-volume, low-value
Every year, 360 million metric tons of concrete construction waste are sent to landfill in the United States, in large part originating from the demolition of buildings considered economically obsolete. Even though concrete is a durable and long-lasting material, it is often discarded after only a few decades of use. Meanwhile, global demand for new concrete is accelerating – in 2021, the production of new concrete was responsible for up to 9% of global CO2e emissions, signifying that urgent action is needed to decarbonize the cement industry.
Disrupting linear supply chains
Business-as-usual practices in the architecture, engineering and construction industry contribute 40% of the world’s total carbon emissions. The simplest and fastest way to prevent emissions and ecosystem destruction from concrete is by not making any new concrete, and instead reusing end-of-life concrete, bypassing the high-energy, high-emissions kiln firing process in the production of cement. The decoupling of economic growth from finite resources, while a formidable challenge, presents an opportunity for value creation further down the supply chain, but requires new business models, and new ways of building.
Reinventing the shape of concrete
For concrete to adapt to a circular economy, its shape and tectonic needs to be fundamentally rethought – yet the way we build with concrete has not changed for over a century, resulting in decades of wasteful and inefficient construction. Pixelframe breaks down the monolithic concrete building frame into smaller, lighter and lower-impact modules with a unique shape that lends itself to many different efficient (re)configurations.
Every year, 360 million metric tons of concrete construction waste are sent to landfill in the United States, in large part originating from the demolition of buildings considered economically obsolete. Even though concrete is a durable and long-lasting material, it is often discarded after only a few decades of use. Meanwhile, global demand for new concrete is accelerating – in 2021, the production of new concrete was responsible for up to 9% of global CO2e emissions, signifying that urgent action is needed to decarbonize the cement industry.
Disrupting linear supply chains
Business-as-usual practices in the architecture, engineering and construction industry contribute 40% of the world’s total carbon emissions. The simplest and fastest way to prevent emissions and ecosystem destruction from concrete is by not making any new concrete, and instead reusing end-of-life concrete, bypassing the high-energy, high-emissions kiln firing process in the production of cement. The decoupling of economic growth from finite resources, while a formidable challenge, presents an opportunity for value creation further down the supply chain, but requires new business models, and new ways of building.
Reinventing the shape of concrete
For concrete to adapt to a circular economy, its shape and tectonic needs to be fundamentally rethought – yet the way we build with concrete has not changed for over a century, resulting in decades of wasteful and inefficient construction. Pixelframe breaks down the monolithic concrete building frame into smaller, lighter and lower-impact modules with a unique shape that lends itself to many different efficient (re)configurations.
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Pixelframe is a smart kit of parts, assembled into efficient, reconfigurable structures.
Design for reuse
When structural concrete is reused today, it is usually crushed and downcycled into aggregate, a process that can be more energy-intensive than the production of new concrete. Pixelframe modules are designed and detailed to be 100% reusable, resulting in modules that can be assembled into elements of varying length and structural capacity. The base module, or “pixel” is a fiber reinforced precast element that uses a sliding dovetail design to be assembled into multiple cross-sections for a variety of structural applications, including columns and beams.
Smarter carbon allocation
The Pixelframe system is unique: instead of having a high-strength, high-carbon concrete mix throughout, the modular nature of the system allows for variation in cement content and fiber reinforcement within elements. This means high-strength, high-carbon modules can be distributed only where they are needed in the structure, breaking with a century of convention in concrete design.
Data-driven design
Pixelframe uses a data-driven approach to predict the building demands of the future, making modules more likely to be reused. Embedded computational strategies like algorithmic optimal assignment and material passports create smarter, lower-carbon structures, with Pixelframe presenting emissions savings of more than 60% up front and up to 97% upon reuse.
When structural concrete is reused today, it is usually crushed and downcycled into aggregate, a process that can be more energy-intensive than the production of new concrete. Pixelframe modules are designed and detailed to be 100% reusable, resulting in modules that can be assembled into elements of varying length and structural capacity. The base module, or “pixel” is a fiber reinforced precast element that uses a sliding dovetail design to be assembled into multiple cross-sections for a variety of structural applications, including columns and beams.
Smarter carbon allocation
The Pixelframe system is unique: instead of having a high-strength, high-carbon concrete mix throughout, the modular nature of the system allows for variation in cement content and fiber reinforcement within elements. This means high-strength, high-carbon modules can be distributed only where they are needed in the structure, breaking with a century of convention in concrete design.
Data-driven design
Pixelframe uses a data-driven approach to predict the building demands of the future, making modules more likely to be reused. Embedded computational strategies like algorithmic optimal assignment and material passports create smarter, lower-carbon structures, with Pixelframe presenting emissions savings of more than 60% up front and up to 97% upon reuse.
Intelligent material tracking
The reuse of materials is equal parts a design problem and a data management problem – if materials cannot be inventoried and tracked in real-time, the logistical complexity of reusing them often outweighs the benefits of reuse. Pixelframe’s Material Bank links physical building modules to digital twins using an innovative material tracking software developed to improve data availability for complex environments.
The reuse of materials is equal parts a design problem and a data management problem – if materials cannot be inventoried and tracked in real-time, the logistical complexity of reusing them often outweighs the benefits of reuse. Pixelframe’s Material Bank links physical building modules to digital twins using an innovative material tracking software developed to improve data availability for complex environments.
Publications
Donovan, Inge, and Jenna Schnitzler. From Liquid to Stone: Reimagining the design of concrete structures for reuse. Master's Thesis, MIT, May 2024.
Schnitzler, Jenna, Inge Donovan, M.A. Ismail, and Caitlin T Mueller. The technics of elegance: Negotiating efficiency and standardization in three prestressed concrete systems by Aldo Favini and Angelo Mangiarotti. 8th International Congress on Construction History (Zurich 2024)
Donovan, Inge, Jenna Schnitzler, Keith J Lee, Pitipat Wongsittikan, Yanjun Liu, and Caitlin T Mueller. PixelFrame: A reconfigurable, precast, post-tensioned concrete structural system for a circular building economy. Journal of Physics Conference Series 2600(19):192007 (November 2023).
Schnitzler, Jenna, Inge Donovan, M.A. Ismail, and Caitlin T Mueller. The technics of elegance: Negotiating efficiency and standardization in three prestressed concrete systems by Aldo Favini and Angelo Mangiarotti. 8th International Congress on Construction History (Zurich 2024)
Donovan, Inge, Jenna Schnitzler, Keith J Lee, Pitipat Wongsittikan, Yanjun Liu, and Caitlin T Mueller. PixelFrame: A reconfigurable, precast, post-tensioned concrete structural system for a circular building economy. Journal of Physics Conference Series 2600(19):192007 (November 2023).
Press
Enabling a circular economy in the built environment: A better understanding of construction industry stakeholders’ motivations can lead to greater adoption of circular practices.
You Spin Me Round: Advances in circular construction could help address the climate crisis and reshape the built environment. Architectural Record, May 2024
MIT and Holcim join forces on innovative "Pixelframe" circular building system
Design & Computational Strategies for Reusable Concrete Components
You Spin Me Round: Advances in circular construction could help address the climate crisis and reshape the built environment. Architectural Record, May 2024
MIT and Holcim join forces on innovative "Pixelframe" circular building system
Design & Computational Strategies for Reusable Concrete Components