In order to welcome the 2024 Olympic Games, the Grand Commune of Paris has awarded the Paris 40-meter pedestrian pedestrian bridge designed by the Freyssinet / Lavigne & Cheron Architects / Quadric / XtreeE / LafargeHolcim consortium, whose decks are all made of 3D printed structural concrete.
The project combines complementary technical expertise to pave the way for the realization of 3D printed concrete elements of complex buildings and structures with controllable costs and deadlines, and the development of customized solutions.
For the first project on such a large scale-at least as far as the pedestrian bridge is concerned with 3D structural concrete printing, the construction industry has entered the era of Industrialization 4.0. The digital design of the structure, the industrial production of pedestrian bridge components and their rapid on-site assembly bring agility and economy: less transportation, no formwork, less material consumption (the goal is to reduce concrete consumption by 60%) and greater freedom of form for architects.
The project will be a pioneer of a new type of infrastructure, which may be rejected in France and the world, and will further validate the 3D printing technology developed by XtreeE.
XTreeE was founded in the 2010s and originated from a research project called DEMOCRITE, which is located in Paris-Maraqua School of Architecture, Paris School of Art and Art, French National School of Art and Music, INRIA Sophia Antipolis and France Industrielle-Les studio between the National Institute of Advanced Sculpture. The company is composed of engineers, architects, automation experts and programmers who share a common vision for the future of architecture and a globally connected network of 3D printing units.
The company’s R&D and prototyping center is located in the cluster Rungis in Greater Paris. The system is currently in operation with the partner Concreative at Ecole Polytechnique in Paris (Marne-la-Vallee, France) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates). Two other 3D printing divisions will be launched in Japan and the United States at the end of 2020.
