Large Scale 3D-Printing Experience with WASP Crane: Log Entries from Construction Site

The use of large-scale 3D printing in construction has been on the rise in recent years, with many architects and builders experimenting with different techniques and technologies. One such project is the final project for the 3DPA postgraduate program at the IAAC Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, which utilized the WASP Crane for printing … Read more

Milà Earth

Multiple-story 3d printed earth housing in Barcelona Introduction Milà Earth envisions an earth high-rise building located in Milà i Fontanals street on Vila de Gracia, a high-density neighborhood in Barcelona. An architectural proposal for student housing that aims for vertical densification of the central city. Focusing on using local materials and innovative cutting-edge building technologies, … Read more

Trinitat Mosalas

The proposed student housing is a result of a system, designed with bottom to top approach, where a module design is considered with variable parameters to proliferate into a building proposal which establishes the relationship between structural and spatial organizations. The site falls within the close proximity of some institutions and more importantly close to … Read more

PATI de la VILA: 3d Printed Earthen Housing

Nader Akoum IAAC 3d Printing Earthen Architecture Housing

At a time when additive manufacturing using earth becomes commercial and available for large scale services, earthen housing becomes more possible without the heavy maintenance required for challenges like spanning, drying, heightening, printing, and durability. A student earthen housing project in Barcelona could vary in many capacities depending on its context of deployment, and in … Read more

Agua Mobility

Employing a passive design strategy for construction can be a viable way to address this issue since buildings use the majority of the energy consumed in a city for heating and cooling space. The goal of the study is to create a passive heating and cooling system in a controlled environment by experimenting with the … Read more

Fibra Terra

Posidonia Oceanica In the Mediterranean, most plant debris is made up of the species Posidonia Oceanica (L.) Delile, asuperior plant that is endemic to this sea. It forms extensive meadows from the shallowest areas of the coast to variable depths, depending on how deep light can penetrate the water to enable photosynthesis to take place. … Read more

CORTEZA

Noise Pollution What is noise pollution? And what are the effects of noise pollution?  Noise pollution is considered to be any unwanted or disturbing sound that affects the health and well-being of humans and other organisms. And World Health Organization considers decibels over 65 dB noise pollution. Noise pollution is affecting everyone. For some people, … Read more

Light of Concrete

Framework Properties of Concrete There needs to be a reduction in the amount of cement usage. But in order to make it sustainable there needs to be a change in the processes currently used, aiming the reduction of the CO2 emissions produced  by the industry. With 3D printing and the help of computational tools, highly … Read more

1:1 Arched Vault Competition Proposal

Nader Akoum 3d Printing Architecture Clay

The competition proposal of a 1:1 3d printed arched clay vault should be characterized by feasibility in construction. To achieve feasibility, the design of the vault uses bended sheets of wood to carry arches, dwells on strong connections in the infills, and complies by site printing restrictions [4,500 meters of print length alongside a maximum … Read more

Earth 3D Printed Pavilion: Optimized Arches for Self-support and The Fifth Facade

Designing for the 3D printing of a self-supporting Pavilion Background For the Competition phase, the brief asked for a design of geometries that addressed the 5th facade in the attempt to cover or go over and above the average human height. Our proposal attempts to have this brief satisfied without the use of additional/external support … Read more

The Fifth Facade Pavilion – Embedded Structural Support and Scaffolding system

Two varying height 3D-printed arches and a polycarbonate roof with embedded timber supports.

Designing a small earth 3D printed structure with two or more support points that spans over a person and fits within one crane printing radius. The competition phase’s objective is to create a small, 3D-printed earth structure that can span a person, fits within a crane’s printing radius of 4 meters, and doesn’t require an … Read more

Fifth facade competition : Fiber supported cantilevers

Three symmetrical generative axes were considered that reach the top, meeting in the same origin. Altering parameters such as the distance between the base axis, the inclination reaching the top and the height of the top axes, the geometry is considered in a shape which is achieving a controlled inclination of the guide surfaces of … Read more

Computer vision and AI in the Additive Manufacturing process

How can we improve the additive manufacturing process? According to a panel of experts, this process is not perfect. There are several issues on it, like the time that they normally spend prototyping to have “the perfect piece”.  This involves different parameters like speed, pressure, Material Consistency, the calibration of the robot, etc.  In most … Read more