DiXite

Digital Construction Site

After radically transforming the worlds of design and production in car manufacturing and aeronautics, digital technologies are now entering the construction sector. How to automate one of the last low-qualification job sector without causing human problems? How do we develop new trades and new jobs ? How do we shift indoor industrial technologies to the construction site? How do we build tomorrow’s sustainable habitat? The idea of this project build a place where partners can develop research around construction scenarios in which automated and digitised processes are used to construct and maintain the digital city of tomorrow. The models and tools are available, there is convergence between industrial and academic interests, and demonstration prototypes will be produced.

The DiXite project

Initiated in 2018, DiXite is part of I-SITE FUTURE, a French initiative to answer the challenges of the sustainable city. The DiXite project focuses on the construction site. It acts as a hub for developing pluridisciplinar research around construction scenarios in which automated and digitised processes are used to construct and maintain the city of tomorrow.

Precedents

Using École des Ponts’ Build’In lab experimental platform, Navier and LIGM have in the last few years pursued research on materials and structures, on 3D printing and robotic construction. The R² Pavilion, designed as part of the intensive week Building Freeform at Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, synthesizes several advances. Other initiatives are structured around automated and assisted construction, via machine learning and artificial intelligence, such as block manipulation and recognition, more efficient masonry design, complex machining and sequential assemblies. These proposals are undergoing a necessary environmental assessment, which is also a research issue of Navier laboratory.

Pluridisciplinarity

To adress the much broader issues associated with the digital worksite, the DiXite project is partnered with Navier, LIGM, LATTS and Lab’Urba Laboratories, CNRS, Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, ENSG, IFSTTAR, ESIEE Paris, EIVP, UPEM and EAVT. These institutions cover a wide range of expertise: structural engineering, computer science, humanities and social sciences, materials science, geophysics, architecture, positioning, robotics and control engineering. Industrial partners are also involved : CSTB, Vinci Construction, HAL Robotics and XtreeE.