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“Cura Salada” – Robotic Spatial Printing of Salt-Clay Composites for Healthy Vernacular Habitats

Team member(s):
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Research Introduction

Poor quality health services is an emerging phenomenon in various countries. The situation is worse in low income countries where 10 percent of hospitalized patients can acquire an infection during their stay versus 7 percent in high income countries.

Disinfecting healthcare facilities is a crucial aspect in order to reduce this phenomenon. Therefore the choice of finishing materials is detrimental in keeping the sanitary conditions. What readily available material with naturally antimicrobial properties could be used to build alternative healthcare facilities in low-income settlements?


Various studies have shown that speleotherapy, a therapy involving the inhalation of aerosols from an environment composed of natural crystallized salt, is an effective method for treatment of respiratory diseases. Moreover, salt is used in the treatment of skin diseases as it reduces inflammation. This leads to the speculation that salt could be used as a healthy low-cost building material for healthcare facilities, as it can be obtained from naturally saline water bodies or from desalination brine discharges.

The aim of the project is to develop a bio material composed of salt and to devise a robotic spatial 3D printing technique of this material composite to allow free form geometries.

There is an abundance of salt lakes in Siwa Oasis, which makes it a suitable location to build with salt.
Egyptians utilised a building technique that used Karshif (salt blocks obtained from the salt lakes) and mud in the construction of Shali, an ancient fortress built in the 12th century in Siwa Oasis.

Material Exploration

‘Wieliczka’ Salt Mine Health Resort
Reference: Wieliczka Salt Mine Health Resort – Green Poland
The second material mixture is the chosen mixture throughout the research.

Fabrication Exploration

Author’s reinterpretation of suspension 3D printing within a powder medium instead of a gel mixture.

Robotic Spatial 3D Printing

A Lutum cartridge accompanied by 2 heat guns positioned at 60 degrees from the nozzle to heat the salt-clay composite while printing the prototype.
Process Workflow

Explored Geometry Typologies

Fabrication Precedents

Reference: Responsive Spatial Print
Analysis of printing path.
Reference: Dynamic Extrusion Control in Spot Deposition Modeling for Porous 3D Clay Structures

Final Geometry Typology

Design Applications

“Cura Salada” – Robotic Spatial Printing of Salt-Clay Composites for Healthy Vernacular Habitats is a project of IAAC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed in the Master in Advanced Architecture 02 - 2023-2024 by the student(s) during the course MAA02 23/24 C-Biom.A Thesis Cluster with Marcos Cruz and Ricardo Mayor.