Milan’s Bergamo Airport opens 3D printed service building Aerospace AM

Just 45 km northeast of Milan is the Milan Bergamo Airport, which serves over 17 million passengers a year and is Italy’s third busiest airport (after Rome-Fiumicino and Milan-Malpensa). As a key international transport hub, the airport must (and is) embracing innovation: last year, for instance, it launched a digital twin initiative through which the entire airport is being replicated digitally with the aim of optimizing ground operation management. On the ground, the airport also recently completed a new service building made using construction 3D printing technology.

The 3D printed structure, dubbed Ol Casél, is located within the airport’s Logistics Park and functions both as a service module and rest area for personnel in the airport’s customs sector. 3D printing was chosen as the construction method for this structure for a few reasons. For one, it accelerated construction lead times. In fact, the service module was reportedly finished in record time, requiring just 19 days to be completed (only seven of which were printing days).

Another key driver for using construction AM at the airport was sustainability. Not only does the 3D printing building process generate less waste than conventional construction processes, in this case it was also possible to print a lime-based material mixture that is less environmentally taxing than traditional cement (a material’s whose production is responsible for as much as 8% of global CO2 emissions).

Sustainability is a key part of WASP’s mission. The Italian construction 3D printing company played an integral role in erecting the airport service module, leveraging its Crane WASP platform to print the structure’s walls. The commercial 3D printer is based on a modular configuration that enables scales upwards of 50 m² and that can be easily transported to building locations for on-site printing.

In the case of the Milan Bergamo Airport service building, the 3D printer was used to realize the core wall structure. Other elements, like the windows, doors, and the roof were added after printing. Electrical systems could also be installed seamlessly, since the 3D printed structure integrated openings for wiring, eliminating the need for drilling. The finished building—completed in December 2025—features planters and a rest area and bathrooms for airport staff. From an aesthetic point of view, it bears the hallmark style of 3D printed architecture, with visible layer lines and curved, almost organic walls.

For WASP, the 3D printed structure represents an important step for its technology and construction 3D printing more broadly, since it demonstrates it is viable even within the context of a highly regulated environment like an airport. As the company says, the project is “compliant with the highest regulatory standards, publicly validated and designed to ensure safety, reliability, and structural integrity.” Ol Casél was realized through a cooperation between WASP, EDILCO Srl, and airport operator SACBO S.p.A.

The Crane WASP system was also behind another recent construction 3D printing feat. WASP completed the printing of Itaca, Italy’s first certified 3D printed residential structure, at WASP’s Shamballa laboratory. The large-scale project, which is designed to house four people and facilitate off-grid living, was built using a four-arm Crane WASP configuration and a lime-based material.

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ICON launches Titan, its first commercially available multi-story construction 3D printer: Titan is engineered to produce multi-story wall systems at approximately $20 per square foot, which ICON said represents a roughly 40% reduction relative to national industry averages for conventional wall systems. The program bundles robotics hardware, software, proprietary construction materials, architectural services, permitting support, training, and ongoing service into a single offering. ICON said it would provide financing options and that early reservation holders would receive priority access, preferred pricing, and an extended warranty.

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Author: Tess Boissonneault