Swarm-based Inverted Fabrication for Timber Buildingsbroad
SWIFT-BUILD · Horizon Europe grant · 2026-10-01–2029-09-30
EC contribution
Total cost
Beneficiaries
About the data
Source: CORDIS (official EU open data), Horizon Europe. Framework HORIZON · call HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01 · scheme HORIZON-EIC · topic HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01-03. CORDIS record →
Objective
SWIFT-BUILD (Swarm-based Inverted Fabrication for Timber Buildings) flips the paradigm of construction, by offering breakthrough robotics and AI technologies for inverted structural assembly, in which buildings are fabricated from the top downward by coordinated swarms of ground-based robotic assemblers and lifting units. By inverting the process, construction becomes an intelligent ground-up process. All robotic agents operate from stable terrain, concentrating energy, control, and maintenance at a single accessible layer. As the structure rises, it becomes its own evolving scaffold: aware of its state, responsive to load, and continuously optimising its geometry through feedback. The result is a modular, adaptable, and mass producible structure that grows and decomposes on demand. Focus is on biogenic structural materials, here wood, for sustainability and cost-efficiency. AI-based awareness at all levels, from local robotic-material interactions to global awareness of the structure dynamics, enables safety by design and adaptive control throughout the build. Demonstration of the technology will be done through the autonomous construction of a stand-alone multi-storey timber pavilion, as well as large-span structural modules for subsequent assembly (e.g. large ceilings or rooms).
Beneficiaries (8)
| Organisation | Country | Role | EC contribution | SME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL | UK | coordinator | €1,107,050 | |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM | UK | participant | €540,266 | |
| SYDDANSK UNIVERSITET | DK | participant | €504,472 | |
| TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT | NL | participant | €438,070 | |
| TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN | DE | participant | €433,750 | |
| FOSTER + PARTNERS LIMITED | UK | participant | €385,000 | |
| LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN | DE | participant | €298,131 | |
| UNIVERSITA DI PISA | IT | participant | €288,856 |
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