CeraShingle Explores The Future Of 3D Printed Ceramic Façades

Studio WE, based in Los Angeles, has developed CeraShingle, a 3D printed ceramic cladding system that combines robotic fabrication with advanced material design. The project recently received the AMP Product Award 2025 in the Building Envelope & Construction Materials category. It demonstrates how digital manufacturing can expand the possibilities of architectural ceramics.

A New Approach To Ceramic Cladding

CeraShingle was designed as a modular façade system with greater surface variation and visual depth than conventional ceramic cladding. Robotic-arm 3D printing allows each ceramic shingle to feature customised textures, gradient colour transitions and layered geometries. At the same time, the system remains suitable for large-scale production and installation.

Studio WE founders and lead designers Yutao Chen and Yiwen Gu focus on translating computational design and robotic fabrication into practical architectural products. With CeraShingle, texture, colour and spatial depth are integrated directly into the production process rather than added afterwards as decoration.

The overlapping ceramic elements create a woven surface effect. As daylight changes, the façade responds with shifting shadows, colours and reflections. This gives the building envelope a dynamic appearance while retaining the durability and weather resistance associated with ceramic materials.

From Digital Design To Scalable Production

A major challenge during development involved balancing geometric complexity with production reliability. Highly detailed ceramic forms can become unstable during printing and firing. Studio WE addressed this issue through iterative prototyping, layered print strategies and carefully controlled gradient transitions.

The project also combined parametric modelling with physical material testing. Each component functions as a standardised yet adaptable module. This approach allows variation within the façade while supporting efficient assembly and scalable manufacturing.

Robotic Fabrication For Architectural Materials

CeraShingle highlights the growing role of robotic production in contemporary building materials. The project combines computational design with ceramic craftsmanship to create a façade system in which performance, fabrication and aesthetics work together.

For architects and façade designers, the project demonstrates how digital fabrication can support expressive yet commercially viable construction systems. Studio WE sees CeraShingle as part of a broader exploration into scalable material systems and digitally fabricated architectural products for future buildings.

Source: Architecture MasterPrize
Photos: Studio WE