Photo credit: NAARO
Innovative 3D printing techniques can now be used to build houses, but what about other structures? ETH architects and engineers from the Block Research Group in collaboration with Zaha Hadid Architects wanted to see just how far they could go by 3D-printing a footbridge in Venice using unreinforced concrete. Called “Striatus,” this footbridge was built with concrete blocks that form an arch, similar to the traditional masonry bridges. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
Its compression-only structure enables forces to travel to the footings, which are tied together on the ground, and the dry-assembled construction is stable solely because of its geometry. This new type of 3D-printed concrete is not applied horizontally like normal, but instead at specific angles such that they are orthogonal to the flow of compressive forces. This method ties together the printed layers, without requiring reinforcement or post-tensioning.
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This precise method of 3D concrete printing allows us to combine the principles of traditional vaulted construction with digital concrete fabrication to use material only where it is structurally necessary without producing waste,” said Philippe Block, ETH professor.
