Archinect - News

2024 showcased the potential of 3D printing in architecture

2024-12-20T08:00:00-05:00

The architecture world witnessed a transformative year in 2024, with 3D printing continuing to broaden the possibilities of design and construction. From high-profile collaborations between architecture firms and technology companies to groundbreaking projects that span continents—and even reach beyond Earth—this year marked a surge in innovation across construction sites and research labs alike.

This year, Archinect’s editorial included exclusive insights from BIG’s Bjarke Ingels and ICON’s Melodie Yashar, digging deeper into a collaboration spanning 3D printing materials, hardware, software, and business models. Elsewhere, we saw notable projects such as North America’s first 3D-printed three-story home and the world’s tallest 3D-printed tower in Switzerland, and innovative research led by institutions including MIT, Princeton, ETH Zurich, and IAAC, dwelling on topics as diverse as fish scales to liquid metal.

To further explore these trends, we have set out the key developments a...

Nonprofit begins 100 home 3D printed supportive housing project in Austin

2024-12-19T16:46:00-05:00

ICON’s 100 home 3D printed Community First! Village is underway in an effort to combat homelessness in the Austin, Texas area. The only neighborhood of its kind in the nation, Community First! Village provides permanent housing solutions and supportive care for those experiencing chronic homelessness.

ICON's contribution to the larger development, which serves 1,800 people, follows its previous work with Lennar on the Wolf Ranch in Georgetown, Texas.

The homes 3D printed by ICON across in the Village’s expansion are a mix of townhome units and family designs with footprints varying between 380 to 1,040 square feet.

Image courtesy ICON

New 3D concrete printing method captures carbon to reduce construction emissions

2024-12-16T18:53:00-05:00

Researchers at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, have developed a 3D concrete printing process that captures and stores carbon dioxide (CO₂) during production. The method incorporates CO₂ and steam—by-products of industrial processes—into the concrete mix, where CO₂ chemically bonds into a solid form.

The method, described in Carbon Capture Science & Technology, demonstrates a reduction in cement’s carbon footprint, a material responsible for 8% of global CO₂ emissions. The process has shown improved mechanical properties, including a 36.8% increase in compression strength and a 45.3% improvement in bending strength, and traps 38% more carbon compared to conventional 3D concrete printing.

Additional findings include:

Reduced Porosity: Open porosity decreased by up to 72%, improving durability and resistance to environmental factors.
Enhanced Printability: The process improves printability, allowing structures to be built with a 50% increase in build height capacity...

BIG debuts new 3D printed mycelium structure at Scandinavian industry summit

2024-10-25T16:24:00-04:00

A new design from BIG made using 3D printing and mycelium additives is being showcase at a manufacturing summit for industry stakeholders in Scandinavia. The firm says it is "aimed at exploring new ways to reduce spatial and material waste through additive manufacturing and bio-based materials."

I AM MSHRM came together as part of a collaborative effort between the Danish AM Hub , MDT A/S, Naturpladen.

The result, they say, is a rapidly deployable and can be assembled in modular components made from recycled plastic and then filled in with the mycelium additive. This element makes their erection possible without the need for scaffolding. This method likewise reduces the overall volume of printed material, replacing it instead with the mycelium composite in such a way that "significantly lower[s] the overall carbon footprint" according to the firm.

Walmart to 3D print an expansion to its store in Athens, TN

2024-10-01T09:37:00-04:00

Retail giant Walmart is set to create one of the largest free-standing 3D-printed commercial concrete structures in the United States. Working with 3D printing company Alquist 3D, the chain will use the technology to create an addition to its existing store in Athens, TN.

The extension, rising 20 feet high and measuring 8,000 square feet, will enhance Walmart’s Online Pickup & Delivery program, marking the first time Walmart has utilized 3D printing technology at a large scale. The company also hints at a second collaboration with Alquist 3D in the future.

Still from video, courtesy Alquist 3D

Walmart is the latest commercial company to embrace 3D printing in architecture and construction. Last month, we reported on BIG and ICON breaking ground on Liz Lambert’s 3D-printed El Cosmic resort in Marta, months after Archinect spoke with both Bjarke Ingels and ICON’s Melodie Yashar about the future of the technology.

Several educational institutions have also recently announced advancement...

MIT team creates 3D-printed glass bricks for reusable construction

2024-09-21T12:31:00-04:00

MIT engineers have created 3D-printed glass bricks that could offer a new approach to construction with sustainable and reusable materials. These interlocking bricks, which offer similar strength to concrete, are designed for circular construction, allowing buildings to be disassembled and reassembled at the end of their life cycle.

The team, led by Assistant Professor Kaitlyn Becker and former MIT researcher Michael Stern, developed the glass bricks using a custom 3D printing technology from MIT spinoff Evenline. Made from recycled glass, the bricks are shaped like figure eights and interlock like LEGO pieces, offering flexibility in assembly and disassembly.

Each manufacturing method is shown from left to right: FH (Fully Hollow), PC (Print-Cast), and FP (Fully Printed). Credits:Image: Ethan Townsend

In mechanical testing, the glass bricks demonstrated strength comparable to concrete blocks, proving their potential for real-world architectural applications. The team experimented wi...

BIG and ICON break ground on Liz Lambert's 3D printed El Cosmico resort in Marfa

2024-09-12T13:17:00-04:00

What could be the world’s first 3D printed hotel development has just broken ground near art and design-rich Marfa, Texas. The vision of a Texas native, the noted Austin area hotelier Liz Lambert, will come together with design and logistical support from BIG and ICON. Both entities announced the project in March of 2023, at the time promising a concept defined by a high desert vernacular that equally purports a "primordial architectural language."

All images courtesy ICON and Bjarke Ingels Group

Their design for the expanded El Cosmico resort calls for multiple structures comprised of different organic forms to be 3D printed on a plot totaling more than 60 acres. Private residences and affordable housing units connect to a hotel with a new amphitheater for the Austin-based Long Center for the Performing Arts included.

All images courtesy ICON and Bjarke Ingels Group

Individually, the homes are to be realized at between 2,000 and 2,500 square feet. The project expands the process and ...

Princeton researchers develop concrete 3D printing method inspired by ancient fish scales

2024-09-05T08:00:00-04:00

Researchers at Princeton University’s Engineering School have developed a method for 3D printing concrete with improved crack resistance. Taking inspiration from fish scales, the team led by assistant professor Reza Moini claims their design increases resistance to cracking by as much as 63% compared to conventional cast concrete.

Princeton’s method drew inspiration from the double-helical structures that form the scales of an ancient fish lineage named coelacanths. The resulting design sees concrete arranged into individual strands, with robotic 3D printing used to weakly connect each strand to its neighbor.

“The researchers used different design schemes to combine many stacks of strands into larger functional shapes, such as beams,” Princeton explains. “The design schemes rely on slightly changing the orientation of each stack to create a double-helical arrangement (two orthogonal layers twisted across the height) in the beams that is key to improving the material’s resistance to ...

Hassell and IAAC deploy 3D printing method for greater gender equality in Tanzania

2024-08-29T12:35:00-04:00

A new 3D printed project in Tanzania from Hassell and the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) team of researchers in Barcelona will provide housing, professional skills training, and education for young women in the village of Kibaha.

Within the new Hope Village master plan, which is being undertaken with help from Australia’s Clarke Hopkins Clarke (CHC), a new Community Building structure will take shape using earth materials and locally sourced timber sections.

Its realization expands on research that first began in Spain and has since earned the Shaping A Circular Industrial Ecosystem Prize at the New European Bauhaus Awards in 2023. Construction will start in 2025. Mark Loughnan, the Principal and Head of Design at Hassell, states: “We’re using design to uplift the way people experience their daily lives. In this instance, we’re using it to hopefully help, heal and educate — and we’re also using it to innovate.”

...

UMaine experiments with 3D printed floor panels made from recyclable natural materials

2024-08-10T11:00:00-04:00

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Maine are leading interesting new engineering research into floor cassettes made using recyclable natural materials that are strong enough to be used in multi-story buildings. Thanks to experiments at UMaine's cutting-edge Advanced Structures and Composites Center (which previously contributed to our coverage of bio-based 3D printed homes), engineers were able to produce a capable model made from polylactic acid and lumber by-products, such as wood flour.

The SM2ART Nfloor cassette components can be 3D printed in roughly two-thirds the time it takes for a typical floor cassette to be factory assembled, thus saving labor costs. Scott Tomlinson, a structural engineer at the Center, shared: "This technology holds a lot of promise for the future of sustainable buildings." The project came together at the initiative of the SHoP offshoot Assembly OSM.

The work was also recently on display as part of the ...

IAAC team expands on first 3D Printed Earth Forest Campus in Barcelona

2024-07-30T20:15:00-04:00

Archinect has received new project images of the latest 3D printed building prototype produced on-site in Barcelona’s Collserola Natural Park by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC).

The 100-square-meter (1,076-square-foot) Earth Forest Campus project (also called TEIXIT), which uses local soil and natural materials with a Crane WASP 3D printer, was created in collaboration with Hassell and provides a live laboratory for testing new architectural solutions and sustainable construction methods.

Image: © 3DPA

The team says the "organic spatial distribution" of its design is key to the experiment's success. It stands as proof of concept for the "beginning of a labyrinth that distances itself from repetitive standardized contemporary architectural solutions and demonstrates a high level of adaptation of buildings to their users’ needs."

Image: © 3DPA

The master plan includes a mixture of enclosed, covered, and open spaces supported by natural stone foundations. To...

ICON's first 3D printed CODEX homes come to market in Texas

2024-07-16T11:24:00-04:00

The first eight 3D printed homes from construction tech company ICON’s new CODEX architectural catalog are coming to Wimberley, Texas, as part of an initial release intended for the Austin area market.

The single-story homes, currently under construction, belong to the TexNext and AlphaBeta collections and range from four to five bedrooms and 2,800 to 4,000 square feet, featuring a mix of luxury and sensibilities to the state's unique history and architectural heritage.

ALPHABETA S. Image: courtesy of ICON

Residences from the TexNext line are designed in partnership with Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). According to the company, each of the homes included in the new release is designed to optimize thermal performance and energy efficiency, rating between 45 and 60% more efficient than typical homes of their size in the latter category.

RANCH MESA. Image courtesy ICON

These will feature ICON's proprietary CarbonX concrete, which, when paired with the company's 3D printed wall system and robot...

Why is technological progress still lagging in the building trade?

2024-05-27T11:00:00-04:00

Overall, across Europe and the US, stuff is still built in a pretty manual fashion - not very different to the way it would have been built 100 years ago [...] Construction is a bit of a digital laggard compared with many other industries. It's been slow to adopt digital in the widest sense

Consultant Sam O’Gorman and other experts speak to the BBC about the confounding gap between digital technology and the analog process for delivering residential architecture. Interesting projects mentioned are the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center’s attempts to develop the world’s largest 3D printer and the UK firm Automated Architecture (or AUAR)’s plan to create a network of ‘micro-factories’ capable of producing pre-assembled six-story timber design for just £250,000 ($320,000 USD) using robots.

Nidus3D completes North America's first 3D printed three-story building

2024-03-13T18:19:00-04:00

A new home design that stands as North America’s first three-story 3D printed structure has been completed in Canada using a special printer from the Danish construction technology firm COBOD.

The Toronto area proof-of-concept project from Nidus3D delivered what is reported as one of Canada’s first residentially permitted 3D printed structures. The 4,500-square-foot townhouse also includes the world's first 3D printed basement. It has a total of four residential units forming semi-attached homes made from locally sourced concrete and finished by a steel-frame roof and brick facade to match the local vernacular.

"Completing the world’s first 3D printed basement is another impressive achievement that only amplifies the technology’s potential to transform construction, and we notice with pride that multiple of our customers are pioneering what can be achieved with the 3D printing technology," COBOD's co-founder, Philip Lund-Nielsen, said in a news announcement.

Aerial view of the compl...

AI designer and multi-story 3D printer among ICON technologies unveiled at SXSW

2024-03-12T16:00:00-04:00

Construction technologies company ICON has unveiled a suite of new technologies at SXSW, including a multi-story robotic construction system and an AI-powered design system.

At a SXSW event dubbed ‘Domus Ex Machina,’ the company also presented a new low-carbon building material for 3D printing alongside a digital catalog for residential 3D printed architecture containing more than 60 designs.

Phoenix multi-story printer. Image credit: ICON

“In the future, I believe nearly all construction will be done by robots, and nearly all construction-related information will be processed and managed by AI systems,” said Jason Ballard, ICON Co-Founder and CEO, announcing the new systems. “It is clear to me that this is the way to cut the cost and time of construction in half while making homes that are twice as good and more faithfully express the values and hopes of the people who live in them.”

Phoenix multi-story printer. Image credit: ICON

Among the new technologies unveiled is Phoenix, ICON...

America's first 3D printed fire-resistant ADU concept is under construction in Southern California

2024-02-29T11:57:00-05:00

A new 3D printed ADU prototype made of concrete and other fire-resistant materials is under construction as part of a demonstration taking place this month in Walnut, California.

The first-of-its-kind project was born of a collaboration between the fire departments of both Walnut and Los Angeles. A local couple volunteered to give the host the design for general contractor Builtech Construction Group in the interests of applying lessons valuable for disaster prevention at a time when an influx of peri-urbanization has left the state more susceptible to fire-damaged structures than ever before.

Image courtesy RIC Technology

The unit is both non-combustible and fire-resistant and is being constructed using contractor RIC Technology’s robotic 3D printer.

Construction takes only 20 days from the start of the printing process to finish after the foundation has been laid. It yields a total of 1,200 square feet of space with 2 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The design works by eliminating any...

Researchers use cellulose and algae to create 3D printed architectural material

2024-02-09T13:46:00-05:00

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have published their study into how materials made from nanocellulose and algae can be used as sustainable architectural materials. The research, conducted in collaboration with the Wallenberg Wood Science Center, “shows how the abundant sustainable material can be 3D printed into a wide array of architectural components, using much less energy than conventional construction methods,” according to the team.

Nanocellulose, molecules consisting of hundreds or thousands of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, are already used in biomedicine to 3D print scaffolds for tissue and cell growth but have never been used in an architectural material. The researchers, therefore, mixed nanocellulose fibers and water with an algae-based material called alginate to produce a 3D printable material with architectural uses in mind.

“For the first time...

Louisiana State and NASA to develop waterless concrete for 3D printing on the Moon

2023-12-14T12:06:00-05:00

Louisiana State University is collaborating with NASA on a project investigating the potential for natural materials on the Moon to be used as 3D printed waterless concrete. The research is part of a wider mission to develop feasible robotic construction technologies that can support the building of long-term settlements on the Lunar surface, including habitats, landing pads, and radiation shields.

The research is a partnership between LSU Construction Management Assistant Professor Ali Kazemian alongside scientists Michael Fiske and Jennifer Edmunson from the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Together, the team will investigate how raw materials already available on the Moon and Mars, namely sulfur and regolith, can be used to develop 3D printed waterless concrete.

Related on Archinect: ICON to work with DARPA on a framework for Lunar architecture. Image credit: BIG

Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the team will study the performance and limits ...

ICON to work with DARPA on a framework for lunar architecture

2023-12-11T12:12:00-05:00

The construction technology company ICON has been chosen by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) among 14 partners to build a framework for lunar architecture. The LunA-10 Lunar Architecture Study will run for seven months with the aim to “create a framework for interoperable commercial lunar architecture that will help to guide lunar research and investment over the next ten years.”

The 14 companies have been chosen for their prior engagement with the space industry, whose products and services may form the foundational elements for a future lunar economy. Aside from ICON’s focus on construction, the group also contains specialists across power, communications, and mobility.

“By participating in LunA-10, we can understand what inputs are going to be available, when, at what cost, and in what quantities,” said Evan Jensen, ICON’s Vice President o...

A 3D printed ceramic facade by Studio RAP in Amsterdam is inspired by weaving textiles

2023-12-04T11:54:00-05:00

Rotterdam-based Studio RAP has transformed a boutique facade in Amsterdam with 3D printed ceramic tiles. The Ceramic House sits along the city’s famous P.C. Hooftstraat shopping street, and according to the firm, “reshapes architectural expression by seamlessly blending tradition and innovation, reintroducing bespoke details to the realm of architecture.”

Image credit: Riccardo De Vecchi

For the project’s design, the firm developed in-house algorithms to reinterpret the existing qualities and language of glazed ceramics in Amsterdam. The resulting facade features intricate layers inspired by textiles, including creases, interloping yarns, and stitch patterns.

Image credit: Riccardo De Vecchi

“Its organic, wave-like quality changes as viewers approach the design from different angles,” the team explains. “Gradually, as the line of vision moves, new elements within the custom ceramic tiles are unveiled, resulting in a luxur...

This 3D printed social housing apartment building aims to become Europe's first of its kind

2023-11-21T12:01:00-05:00

German company PERI 3D Construction is collaborating with construction printer manufacturer COBOD on what the team describes as the “first 3D printed social housing apartment building in Germany and Europe.” The three-floor building will contain six apartment units ranging from 670 to 890 square feet.

Image credit: COBOD / PERI 3D

Located in the Ruhr city of Lünen, the project will see the first two floors of the apartment building 3D printed using concrete, while the top floor will be built using a timber hybrid construction method. The foundation, base, and horizontal slabs will be built from conventional methods, while the facade finish will comprise the 3D printed surface on the bottom two floors and facade panels to the top floor.

“We are pleased to be able to demonstrate once again how quickly, efficiently, and in a resource-saving manner the 3D printer can create living space and what potential is also opening up in the multi-family house segment,” PERI’s managing director Fab...

Japanese company delivers 3D printed home ‘bought for the price of a car’

2023-08-17T11:42:00-04:00

Japan-based housing company Serendix has announced the completion of 'serendix50', a 3D printed house that forms part of the company’s mission of building homes that can be bought for the price of a car.

Image credit: Serendix

Serendix first made headlines in March 2022 with the creation of serendix10, a 3D printed home that was printed in under 24 hours. Having sold out the six editions of the home by October, the company undertook the design and construction of serendix50, otherwise known as the ‘barnacle model.’

Image credit: Serendix

The design of Serendix50 was primarily influenced by demand from older married couples seeking a home for their retirement years. The resulting 538-square-foot scheme, developed by a team including the Digital Manufacturing Creation Center, KAP, Tateo Densetsu, Hyakunen Jutaku, and Nabeju, was constructed in 44 hours and 30 minutes.

Image credit: Serendix

Serendix50 merges two digital fabrication techniques: 3D printing for the framework and CNC cuttin...

Architects and builders detail Europe's first 3D printed school in Lviv, Ukraine

2023-08-07T14:45:00-04:00

The enormous effort of rebuilding civilian infrastructure in war-torn Ukraine has spurred a landmark example of the design and delivery of 3D printed architecture with the completion of Danish 3DCP Group‘s new Lviv School No. 23 project in the country’s internally-deluged western stronghold.

Their humanitarian design for clients Team4UA foundation was completed earlier this spring using a COBOD BOD2 printer and is now the title holder for the world’s largest 3D printed educational structure, simultaneously helping to bolster a key area of need in a community beleaguered by over 16 months of conflict and displacement.

Ukraine as a whole has lost some 277 schools since the latest phase of the Russian military invasion began last February, according to its Ministry of Education and Science. Jean-Christophe Bonis, a French-born entrepreneur who has resided in the country since 2019, took it as his charge to redirect his business activities towards the war effort, leading to the creation...

ICON, Lennar, and BIG reveal first completed Wolf Ranch model home in Texas

2023-07-21T17:55:00-04:00

The first 3D printed model home concept Wolf Ranch development, built by Lennar and ICON and co-designed by BIG, has been completed in Georgetown, Texas.

The initial of what will eventually turn into a 100-home development outside the rapidly-expanding state capital showcases one of eight different floorplans, which range in scale from 1,574 to 2,112 square feet, offering buyers three-and four-bedroom options within an expected price range of $475,990 to $559,990.

Image screen capture from ICON-3D Tech Wolf Ranch Trailer.

Striated walls made using ICON’s Vulcan 3D printing technology and patented Lavacrete material define the residence’s design, which comes complete with polished concrete floors, a rooftop photovoltaic array, and fixtures and furnishings.

Image screen capture from ICON-3D Tech Wolf Ranch Trailer.

The remainder of the development, which features a playful variety of forms derived from the 24 different elevation styles offered by the company, is nearing completion aft...

The world's largest 3D printed structure rises in Florida

2023-07-03T14:01:00-04:00

Florida-based 3D printing construction startup Printed Farms has announced the completion of a structure it claims is the world’s largest 3D printed building — a "luxury horse barn." The company is known for completing Florida’s first permitted 3D printed house in Tallahassee. It used Danish 3D printer producer COBOD’s BOD2 construction 3D printer for the undertaking.

Video courtesy COBOD on YouTube

Located in the southern Florida city of Wellington, the barn spans 10,105 square feet with a height of 13 feet. It has a total length of 155 feet and a width of 83 feet. The structure was constructed to withstand extreme local weather conditions, including hurricanes and tropical storms. Its 3D printed walls serve to create a cavity and air gap, which aims to provide natural cooling to the building. The construction process involved five moves of the printer, with the two sides completed twice and the middle section executed once.

Previously on Archinect: The world's largest 3D printe...

Termite mounds hold secrets for energy-efficient buildings, researchers find

2023-05-30T10:58:00-04:00

Researchers have uncovered a methodology for reducing energy consumption in buildings by studying the structure of termite mounds. Led by Lund University’s Dr. David Andréen and Nottingham Trent University’s Dr. Rupert Soar, the research suggests that the properties of lattice networks in termite mounds, known as an ‘egress complex,’ can be copied to optimize the interior climate of buildings.

“Here we show that the ‘egress complex’, an intricate network of interconnected tunnels found in termite mounds, can be used to promote flows of air, heat, and moisture in novel ways in human architecture,” said Andréen about the study, which was recently published in Frontiers in Materials.

Image credit: Dr. David Andréen

The team grounded their research in the egress complex of Macrotermes michaelseni termites in Namibia, which they observed appeared to promote moisture regulation and ventilation. The mounds are regarded as some of the world’s largest biological structures, capable of reachin...

With OpenAI’s new 3D model tool Shap-E, text-to-3D printing may soon be a reality

2023-05-10T12:11:00-04:00

OpenAI, the company behind AI applications such as ChatGPT and text-to-image tool DALL-E, has unveiled a new model that allows users to generate 3D objects from text or images. Named Shap-E, and available for free on GitHub, the tool generates 3D objects that can be opened in Microsoft Paint 3D and converted into STL files for use in 3D printers.

Unlike ChatGPT and DALL-E, Shap-E does not operate over an online application and is instead downloaded onto a PC for local use. The tool works in three modes: a ‘text-to-3D’ mode that uses text prompts to generate models, an ‘image-to-3D’ mode that turns a 2D image into a 3D object, and ‘encode-model’ which takes an existing 3D model and transforms it into another model.

3D objects generated from text prompts by Shap-E. Image credit: OpenAI

According to a paper by OpenAI announcing the tool, Shap-E can produce both textured meshes (3D objects formed of polygons overlayed by colored textures) and neural radiance fields (3D scenes generated b...

New 3D printing housing factory aims to cut construction time by 50 percent

2023-03-28T12:51:00-04:00

3D printing construction technology startup Mighty Buildings has offered a first look inside their new factory in Monterrey, Mexico. As part of the company’s mission to develop and construct “climate-resilient, carbon-neutral homes near points of need,” the factory is reportedly capable of producing the components for an entire home during each day of operation.

Image credit: Mighty Buildings

The factory will produce homes using a blend of material science, robotics, and automation. Components for the homes will be 3D printed using Mighty Buildings’ concrete-free composite stone material, which is 30% lighter and 15% less expensive, and five times stronger than concrete. The company also claims their homes will be climate-resilient, carbon-neutral, and resistant to severe weather conditions, including hurricanes and earthquakes.

Image credit: Mighty Buildings

The components printed in the factory will form part of the company’s existing Mighty Kit System for prefabricated housing and ...

University of Michigan researchers merge 3D printing with computational design to create ‘ultra-lightweight, waste-free concrete’

2023-03-21T11:02:00-04:00

Researchers from the University of Michigan’s Taubman College have unveiled details of their latest innovation in 3D printing, which the team claims creates “ultra-lightweight, waste-free concrete.” Led by architect Aghaei Meibodi and researchers Alireza Bayramvand and Yuxin Lin of the college's DART laboratory, the group’s ‘Shell Wall’ system also claims to be 72% lighter compared to a conventional solid concrete system of the same size.

Image credit: DART laboratory

The research team’s project is a departure from traditional 3D concrete printing, which sees a 3D printing tool head operating parallel to the ground or along a single plane. As we described in our in-depth look at the design and construction of a 3D-printed house in Arizona, the tool head follows a defined path and deposits mortar in horizontal layers, repeating the process until the resulting mold is completed to a defined height and reinforced with rebars or additional concrete.

Image credit: DART laboratory

“This lea...

IAAC/WASP team creates ‘solid and expressive’ 3D printed wall made from earth

2023-02-13T13:17:00-05:00

Barcelona’s IAAC has collaborated with Italian 3D printing company WASP on the creation of a 3D printed earthen wall. The element was printed from a mixture of clay and rice fibers, with interlocking timber beams providing support for stair and floor structures.

The 15.7-inch-thick wall was printed in 40 hours using 70 cubic feet of material. Printed in horizontal layers with voids left for the placement of cantilevering timber elements, the team describes their method as one that can “confer both solidity and aesthetic expressivity.”

The prototype was printed using WASP’s modular 3D printing system titled ‘Crane WASP.’ The machinery is composed of a main printer unit that covers an area of 538 square feet by way of a radial mechanical arm, similar to the operation of a traditional construction crane. The Crane WASP system has also been used to deliver the Mario Cucinella-designed TECLA raw earth home which we reported on in 2021.

Image credit: IAAC / WASP

“This work can be consider...