Forma Systems
Press coverage, awards, and announcements.
The exhibit at the Structural Engineering Institute's annual conference achieved cost, speed, and carbon benefits.
Forma Systems reduces the cost and carbon footprint of concrete construction using a proprietary multiobjective optimization engine developed at MIT. By aligning with a manufacturer's specific inventory and material properties, the Cimbra software generates optimized geometries to ensure that material is placed only where structurally required.
Boston exhibit shows low-carbon construction is ready now. Organized in partnership with Buro Happold, Cambium Carbon, Forma Systems, Second Structure, Turner Construction Company, and MIT, the project comes five years into the SE 2050 Commitment and stands as both proof-of-concept and a call to action.
Shape optimization challenges the conventional approach, allocating RC and steel only where structurally required. The result is a lighter, shallower element that uses significantly less cement and steel.
An industry collaborative demonstrated that high-performance, low-embodied-carbon structural systems are ready for commercial scale today. The exhibit combined shape-optimized precast floors by Forma Systems and J.P. Carrara, reused structural steel sourced by Second Structure within 60 miles fabricated by Prime Steel, and Carbon Smart mass timber by Cambium — all code-compliant, permitted, and insured. The approximately 3.5-ton structure is over 50% lighter than a comparable cast-in-place concrete system and estimated to reduce the carbon footprint by two-thirds.
Nearly 50% weight reduction compared to a standard 8″ hollowcore plank, at only 6¾″ deep. Poured, cured, and load-tested in collaboration with J.P. Carrara & Sons, Inc., and funded by a Massachusetts Clean Energy Center InnovateMass Grant.
Caitlin Mueller co-founded Forma Systems, focused on expanding access to high-quality, low-carbon affordable housing and building systems by reimagining widely available materials such as concrete and earth.
From the dorm rooms to the labs, our talented founders and unique teams are solving the world's toughest problems across many industries.
Demo Day showcases passionate and talented student founders, featuring pitches of their innovative, world-changing companies solving the toughest problems across many industries.
InnovateMass offers grants and technical support for teams deploying new clean energy technologies or innovative combinations of existing technologies with strong commercialization potential.
The MIT Climate & Energy Prize Grand Prize of $100,000 aims to catalyze a new generation of solutions that tackle the climate challenge and provide the mentor and network resources to help startups thrive.
The redesigned clay block saves 16% of material compared to the standard clay block, resulting in cost and carbon emission savings.
To further their social innovation efforts from the MIT PKG IDEAS Social Innovation Challenge.
The MIT Climate & Energy Prize competition seeks to move the world closer to net zero carbon emissions by empowering ambitious entrepreneurs to solve the world's most difficult climate-related challenges.
Site-responsive pavilion in Mexico merges traditional papercraft, 3D-printing and recycling.
MIT Mextrópoli installation provides a critical exploration into the use of sustainable construction materials.
By optimizing the shape of the prefabricated reinforced concrete joists, the volume of concrete and the resulting environmental impact are reduced by 50%.
Sueños Con Tierra/Concreto combines local construction techniques with new digital manufacturing technologies, resulting in a pavilion where industry, social enterprise, and academia collaborate as a model towards a more sustainable built environment.