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The bridge is constructed from fifty-three 3D-printed , uniquely shaped hollow blocks that would otherwise have required individual formwork ( or molds ), significantly cutting down on both the concrete needed and typical formwork materials of timber , metal , or plastic .
Without the constraints of having to remove objects from a mold ( as in formative manufacturing ) or having to carve out material ( as in subtractive manufacturing ), it is possible to create shapes that would have been impossible before , or , where they were possible , would have been prohibitively time-consuming and costly .
“ 3D printing lets us create more efficient structures using nonstandard geometries , especially when it comes to printing complex junctions and joints on demand ,” says Morgan .
New shapes and complex forms The elaborate forms allowed by 3D printing mean architects can push the boundaries of what is possible . “ Complexity is very interesting for architects because it means great design freedom ,” says Andrei Jipa , an architect and researcher in ETH Zurich ’ s
Digital Building Technologies ( DBT ) group , which carries out some of the most pioneering work in architectural 3D printing . “ With 3D printing , we have a design vocabulary that is unrivaled by other fabrication processes .”
DBT created a series of nine 9-foot-tall columns called
Concrete Choreography that show the intricacy achievable through 3D printing . Each individually designed column has a unique fluid appearance , combining furrows , ridges , and hollows . The details are so finely designed that in places the concrete layers are just five millimeters thick . DBT also collaborated with other groups at ETH on the
HighRes Concrete Slab ceiling made from 3D-printed molds and standard poured concrete . The molds allowed the team to create a ceiling with dramatic , flowing contours that would have taken a lot of time , money , and extra material to produce by other methods .
The ceiling is installed in the
NEST HiLo Unit in Dübendorf , a testing ground for futuristic construction techniques . The slab integrates a network of embedded heating and cooling water pipes that inform the organic contours , making it a highly efficient , thermally active panel due to the thinness of the concrete structure . The active ventilation is supplied by four 3D-printed air ducts incorporated directly into the structure .
According to Jipa , another benefit of working with 3D-printed molds and a conventional concreting process is that it meets existing building codes . “ This makes it available and ready ,” he says . “ We can use it now . There ’ s no further research that needs to go into developing new types of reinforcement , getting it approved for building standards , and so on .”
South Korean firm HS Hi-Tech is another group using 3D printing , in this case to help build atypical facades
TEST CASE The NEST HiLo Unit in Dübendorf , Switzerland , showcases modern and sustainable architecture and construction methods like an adaptive solar facade , above ; the fluted forms of its HiRes Concrete Slab ceiling are made from poured concrete in 3D-printed molds , left .
PARALLAX VIEW The ultra-lightweight Digital Bamboo pavilion is held together with custom-made connections manufactured by HP ’ s Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing technology , below .