Archinect - News

New additive manufacturing company aims to leverage 3D printing technology by transforming the way architects and designers can use wood waste

2021-05-18T16:20:00-04:00

3D print applications have revolutionized industries from architecture, construction, furniture design, and fashion. Last year, 3D print fabrication aided in provided medical professionals, patients, and facilities with PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. As fabrication continues to develop and expand, a company based in Burlington, MA, has found a way to turn upcycled wood byproducts into a promising new avenue for additive manufacturing.

"With the power of high-speed, high-resolution 3D printing, Forust is giving a new life to a discarded resource - creating strong, beautiful and carbon-friendly wood products from wood waste. For each tree saved, we reduce the CO2 footprint by a metric ton over the tree’s life." Image and text courtesy of Forust

Forust, an exclusively owned subsidiary of 3D printing and rapid prototyping Massachusetts-based company Desktop Metal creates "high-volume additive manufacturing of end-use wood parts possible." Launched in 2021, Forust's system "upcycles wo...

Oakland-based architect and designer are heralded as pioneers of digital building

2019-03-18T18:41:00-04:00

Mr. Rael and Ms. San Fratello are committed to democratizing the process for their young acolytes and others, making the point that 3-D printing from “upcycled” materials otherwise destined for the trash heap, and forgoing the purchase of drywall and other construction supplies, is a more sustainable design approach. Ingredients like curry and coffee grounds not only lower the cost, they add a dash of poetry, retaining their aroma long after being transformed.

Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello, principals of the Oakland firm Rael San Fratello, have been pushing the envelope on 3D printing in architecture. The duo—who started the spin-off company Emerging Objects in order to develop materials and applications for the technology—have built a talent for transforming low-cost waste materials into building components. Examples include outdoor furniture made from recycled tires, a casserole dish printed from curry powder, and a cabin built using 4,500 3D printed ceramic tiles.

Beyond proving the potential of additive manufacturing, the two have helped to democratize the technology by making "3-D printing cheaper and more accessible," Patricia Leigh Brown explains in the New York Times. Mr. Rael and Ms. San Fratello often rely on the widely used method called "binder jetting," a process for which the standard materials can often be quite costly. In their pioneering use of non-traditional materials, from clay and wood to salt and chocolate, ...

Architect Julia Koerner blends design, technology, and fashion to help Black Panther win an Oscar in best costume design

2019-02-25T14:43:00-05:00

Beyond the silver screen buzz and Hollywood glam, the Oscars highlight professionals in non-acting categories like best original soundtrack, set design, and costume design. This year, a film, which received several awards and nominations, shined through its use of 3D printing and architectural design concepts. In the film Black Panther, architect Julia Koerner used traditional techniques combined with digital technologies to create the intricate accessories worn by Queen Ramonda.

Left, a Zulu woman in the traditional headdress of a married woman; center, a conceptual costume sketch by Ms. Carter (design) and Ryan Meinerding and his team (concept artists); and right, the headdress as worn by Angela Bassett designed by Julia Koerner and Ruth Carter. Credit Getty Images; Marvel; Marvel/Disney

Inspired by African patterns presented in the initial design sketches of Ruth Carter, Koerner's Zulu hat and shoulder mantle were designed to look as though it were created by technology from the f...

Researchers at Columbia University create digital wood using 3D-printing

2019-01-07T13:59:00-05:00

Researchers at Columbia University have invented a digital "wood" using 3D-printing technology to replicate the material's external and internal structure. They believe the technique could be applied to other anisotropic materials, which are especially difficult to replicate due to their complicated material distribution.

To begin, the researchers used destructive tomographic imaging to capture extremely-thin slices of olive wood cut by a CNC. In total, 230 images were taken and sent to a Stratasys J750 PolyJet printer, which is capable of printing objects using voxels. Engineers were then able to print a resin block mimicking the unique grain pattern of olive wood.

In the study's abstract, the authors note the technique's success, observing that "the final printed object closely resembles the original wooden block both in its external appearance and in its internal color pattern, as confirmed when the block is cut or broken." They hope the process will be employed in the digital re...

Zaha Hadid Architects design 3D-printed chairs for Nagami's Milan debut

2018-04-18T16:20:00-04:00

Milan Design Week just kicked off, and one impressive highlight is the debut exhibition Brave New World: Re-thinking Design in the New Age of Technology by brand-new Spanish company, Nagami.

Marking the brand's official launch event, the show at the Nagami pop-up showroom in Milan's Brera Design District features four exquisite chairs—designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, Ross Lovegrove, and Daniel Widrig—that combined computational design and large-scale robotic 3D printing.

The Robotica TM and Bow chairs © Delfino Sisto Legnani + Marco Cappelletti

Bow & Rise by Zaha Hadid Architects for Nagami

Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
Design: Patrik Schumacher
Design Team: Sebastian Andia

The Bow and Rise chairs © Delfino Sisto Legnani + Marco Cappelletti

Design description: "Bow and Rise are the latest results of the extensive, ongoing research that Zaha Hadid Architects is conducting within the domains of 3D printing and material experimentation. These chairs combine pristine design informed b...

3D printed Oakland cabin proves the architectural (and aesthetic) possibilities of additive manufacturing

2018-03-14T13:30:00-04:00

Emerging Objects is a self-described 3D Printing MAKE-tank founded by Ronald Rael, an Associate Professor of Architecture at University of California Berkeley, and Virginia San Fratello, an Assistant Professor of Design at San José State University. They are trailblazers in the 3D printing industry, specializing in cutting-edge architecture and building components. Their innovations include a porous ceramic brick that passively cools interiors, a teapot printed from actual tea, furniture made from recycled tires, and now, a fully-livable cabin.

Courtesy of Emerging Objects.

The Cabin of Curiosities is a culmination of the work the Bay Area start-up has been perfecting since its founding and proves the architectural potential of additive manufacturing on a weathertight, structurally sound building. Made from more than 4,500 3D printed ceramic tiles, the structure demonstrates 3D printing's potential for making highly designed building components from unlikely materials.

Courtesy of...

The latest in additive and advance manufacturing at Barcelona Industry Week

2017-05-09T00:30:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by IN(3D)USTRY.

The first edition of IN(3D)USTRY: From Needs to Solutions was held in 2016—an exclusive 3-day event that brought together the most advance additive manufacturing solutions in key sectors such as healthcare, automotive & aeronautics, retail and architecture.

More than 3000 visitors attended IN(3D)USTRY 2016, an event featuring more than 100 important speakers and more than 40 companies from 20 different countries. Companies such as HP or Renishaw exhibited new Additive manufacturing technologies that aim to revolutionize the industry by providing a faster and more economical solution with increased freedom of creation, compared to other traditional methods.

In the last edition, speakers from architecture studios and the world leading laaC (the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia) discussed how to change the way large structures are built and how these new approaches will open paradigm-changing scenarios full of opportunities and f...

IN(3D)USTRY - The Show

2016-09-29T03:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by IN(3D)USTRY From Needs to Solutions.

The first edition of IN(3D)USTRY From Needs to Solutions, which took place from June 21st to June 23rd 2016 at Fira de Barcelona, successfully introduced an entirely new concept for exploring the possibilities offered by additive manufacturing and 3D printing across four key industrial sectors.

The event showcased both the present of additive manufacturing, as well as its promising future, by focusing on the challenges 3D printing presents, and offering innovative, pioneering, and state-of-the-art solutions to manufacturers’ specific needs.

Over the three-day event, prominent international speakers took to the stage to describe their experiences with additive manufacturing in the four most important vertical sectors: Aerospace & Automotive, Healthcare, Architecture & Habitat, and Consumer & Retail Goods.

This unique approach stimulated participants to explore the many different solutions already offered by additive man...