3D Printed Architectural Concrete @ MX2016

With three objects measuring 1,60 meters high, Bruil is taking the first concrete steps in the building industry’s ‘3d printing revolution.’ These elements, printed in extremely high resolution and with coloured concrete, will be on show at Material Xperience and Gevel (Facades) 2016 from January 27 -29 at Ahoy, Rotterdam.

High aesthetic value:

‘3D concrete printing until now has been associated with cold, grey building shells, such as those made in China,’ says Theo Voogd, Manager of Markets and Innovation at Bruil. ‘We however want architects to see how the form and language of 3d printing is changing. Eventually, parametric forms with high aesthetic value will be printed. We print with a very high resolution and have developed our printing materials in white or in colour. With this, we can also achieve colour gradients. Also, we are not bound to a layer composition in one horizontal plane. The layers can made undulating movements, so that new structures can arise.’

The architect on the move:

Architecture is on the verge of a huge change. Whereas the influence of the architect has waned in recent decades, 3D printing is again making it possible to create distinctive designs that can be realized affordably.

Bruil has developed software with which the 3D model of the architect can be easily converted into print paths. With this innovation, the print process and end result can be simulated instantly, after which the printing can be immediately started.

For those architects looking at future opportunities, it is now an excellent time to be experimenting with this technology on the cutting edge.

Further developments:

As 3D printing of concrete is being developed, there are many new ideas for process optimization and interesting new structures. It is expected that within two years, the technique will be sufficiently developed and deployed more widely. Until then, there are many opportunities with respect to pilot projects.

Bruil is open to cooperation with others and is happy to meet anyone interested in giving a boost to this new way of building. More information about Bruil and their work can be found here.