Concrete Circular Futures

Of all the waste in the Netherlands, 40 percent comes from the construction industry. Building, especially with concrete, requires enormous amounts of energy, materials and water, not all of which can be reused. Building with concrete is thus neither sustainable nor circular. What if we start using concrete differently, innovatively? A team of designers, architects, robotics experts and scientists are exploring ways to 3D-print concrete in an innovative and circular way.

3D concrete printing is done on a spherical, fully circular mold, made using sand and a spatula. A 6-axis robotic arm then prints patterns on the mold using the continuous line principle: patterns that can also be found in coral, for example. This results in visually appealing individual elements or lenses that can be used in buildings, including facades and walls. It’s a complex process that needs a lot more development and fine-tuning. But … could you imagine the first building designed and built using these 3D concrete printed lenses?