This year’s Venice Biennale of Architecture marks the 19th edition of the international architecture expo and it’s been a particularly exciting one for those of us in the 3D printing industry. The curator behind this edition, architect and engineer Carlo Ratti, has said he is inspired by the idea that “architecture must harness all the intelligence around us” in order to “face a burning world.” This has come through in many of the projects we’ve seen, including the Canadian pavilion where a series of 3D printed living structures made from carbon-sequestering cyanobacteria are on display, and a 3D printed structure by MIT architect Nof Nathansohn that will grow over time.
This project, called To Grow a Building, is very much interested in turning to natural biologies and materials in order to create built space. Made from local soil collected from Massa Lombarda, the experimental structure is 3D printed using a Crane WASP Scara, a newly developed construction 3D printer with a greater range of motion thanks to a new mechanical joint. Notably, the construction 3D printer’s enhanced capability means that it can print structures in closer proximity to existing walls or organic structures, like trees.
Nathansohn and her team created the To Grow a Building project as part of the WASP Residency Program, and the large-scale build is based at WASP’s headquarters in Massa Lombarda. The soil structure, which features a layer-by-layer pattern characteristic of construction 3D printing, has also been embedded with a selection of 14 different types of seeds, which will over time sprout and grow, resulting in a green living architecture.
“Rather than resisting time, these buildings embrace it: germinating, flourishing and eventually returning to the earth,” the project description reads. “As seeds sprout, their roots thread through the architectural body, not as invaders but as natural reinforcement, weaving strength through biological collaboration.”
Manufacturing on Demand
Visitors of the Venice Biennale of Architecture will evidently not be able to see the product of To Grow a Building in person (at five meters in diameter, it is not easily moved!), however there is an exhibition dedicated to it in the Arsenale area that includes photos and video reportage.
“By studying the intelligence embedded in plant communities, To Grow a Building reimagines architecture not as an artifact but as an organism,” WASP adds. “The design itself emerges from botanical data—the elements informed by the plants’ specific moisture and light requirements, their mature dimensions, seasonal cycles and symbiotic relationships with neighboring species. This data-driven approach creates a harmonious ecosystem where plants thrive collectively.”
Ultimately, the 3D printing project explores what a building can be when it embraces the natural world and local, organic materials. By integrating a specific selection of local seeds into the structure as well, Nathansohn is also interested in promoting local wisdom and biodiversity.
WASP’s construction 3D printing technology was also used recently at another expo, the World Expo in Osaka, where an up-and-coming Japanese architecture firm Aki Hamada Architects (AHA) 3D printed a rest stop area, including wall panels, planters and hand-wash basins.
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Vertico brings scale model of DIAMANTI 3D printed bridge to Venice Biennale: What makes the DIAMANTI bridge exceptional is its design, technology, and sustainability combination. The structure features a modular system composed of nine individual concrete segments, each precisely 3D printed for easy disassembly and reassembly. Its post-tensioned design is held together by eight ungrouted steel cables, allowing for both structural efficiency and full demountability. The bridge adopts a funicular geometry, where load paths follow pure compression and tension, resulting in an optimized structural form derived from polyhedral graphic statics.
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Author: Tess Boissonneault
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