Concrete Choreography. A 3D printing process developed at ETH zurich
19/07/2019.
Origen Festival [Riom-Parsonz] Switzerland
metalocus, ÁNGEL TORNE
metalocus, ÁNGEL TORNE
From ancient civilisations to the present day, columns have served as elements of architecture particularly tied to the harmony, balance and proportion of architectural orders – so much so that they have come to be recognised as works of art in their own right.
What could the contemporary design of a new column order enabled by emerging digital technologies be like?
What could the contemporary design of a new column order enabled by emerging digital technologies be like?
Image courtesy of Benjamin Hofer, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Benjamin Hofer, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Benjamin Hofer, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Benjamin Hofer, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Benjamin Hofer, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Angela Yoo, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Benjamin Hofer, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Axel Crettenand, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Keerthana Udaykumar, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Sofia Michopoulou, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Patrick Bedarf, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Benjamin Hofer, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Benjamin Hofer, Digital Building Technologies
Image courtesy of Benjamin Hofer, Digital Building Technologies
In collaboration with the Origen Festival in Riom, Switzerland, the installation ‘Concrete Choreography’ is a 3D printing process developed at ETH Zurich has been used to produce nine individually designed concrete columns.
The project consists of nine 2.7-meter-tall columns (8.9 ft). Each column is concrete 3D printed at full height in 2.5 hours, without the need for any formwork, with the process developed at ETH Zurich, with the support of NCCR DFAB. In addition, one-of-a-kind designs with complex geometries can be fabricated in a fully automated manner. Hollow concrete structures are printed in a way where the material can be strategically used only where needed, allowing a more sustainable approach to concrete architecture.
Computationally designed material ornament and surface texture exemplify the versatility and significant aesthetic potential 3D concrete printing holds when used in large-scale structures.
Framing and informing the dance performances of the 2019 summer season in Riom, the project showcases how technological advancements can bring efficient and novel expressions to concrete architecture.
The project consists of nine 2.7-meter-tall columns (8.9 ft). Each column is concrete 3D printed at full height in 2.5 hours, without the need for any formwork, with the process developed at ETH Zurich, with the support of NCCR DFAB. In addition, one-of-a-kind designs with complex geometries can be fabricated in a fully automated manner. Hollow concrete structures are printed in a way where the material can be strategically used only where needed, allowing a more sustainable approach to concrete architecture.
Computationally designed material ornament and surface texture exemplify the versatility and significant aesthetic potential 3D concrete printing holds when used in large-scale structures.
Framing and informing the dance performances of the 2019 summer season in Riom, the project showcases how technological advancements can bring efficient and novel expressions to concrete architecture.
More information
Authors
MAS DFAB in Architecture and Digital Fabrication | ETH Zurich. Ana Anton, Patrick Bedarf, Angela Yoo.
Teaching Team
Ana Anton, Patrick Bedarf, Angela Yoo (Digital Building Technologies), Timothy Wangler (Physical Chemistry of Building Materials).
Students
Antonio Barney, Aya Shaker Ali, Chaoyu Du, Eleni Skevaki, Jonas Van den Bulcke, Keerthana Udaykumar, Nicolas Feihl, Nik Eftekhar Olivo, Noor Khader, Rahul Girish, Sofia Michopoulou, Ying-Shiuan Chen, Yoana Taseva, Yuta Akizuki, Wenqian Yang.
One column in numbers
Column Height.- 2.70 m. Print-path length.- 1600 m. Print-time.- 2.5 h. Print-speed.- 180 mm/sec. Layer width.- 25 mm. Layer height.- 5 mm
Origen Foundation
Giovanni Netzer, Irene Gazzillo, Guido Luzio, Flavia Kistler.
Research Partners
Prof. Robert J. Flatt, Lex Reiter, Timothy Wangler (Physical Chemistry of Building Materials, ETH Zurich).
Technical Support
Michael Lyrenmann, Philippe Fleischmann, Andreas Reusser, Heinz Richner
Supported by
Debrunner Acifer Bewehrungen AG, LafargeHolcim, Elotex, Imerys Aluminates.
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