Concrete 3D printed bridge unveiled in Venice
The first 3D-printed arch bridge made of concrete was inaugurated today at the Architecture Biennale in Venice. It was designed by the Block Research Group of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and partners. It was made possible by Holcim.
The Striatus arch bridge was unveiled on Monday at the Venice Architecture Biennale. It was designed by the Block Research Group at the Institute for Technology in Architecture of the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich ( ETH ), the Zaha Hadid Architecs Computation and Design Group and the Innsbruck specialists for additive manufacturing with concrete, incremetal3D . It was made possible by the building materials manufacturer Holcim Switzerland .
Striatus is part of the “ Time Space Existence ” exhibition. It will be shown by the European Cultural Center as part of the Biennale. Its name (Latin: ribbed, grooved, striped) reflects the structural logic and the manufacturing process of the bridge, said Philippe Block from ETH in a press release from Holcim. “In arched and vaulted structures, the material is placed in such a way that the forces can be transferred to the supports in pure compression. The strength is generated by the geometry, whereby only a fraction of the materials are used that are used in conventional beams. ”This opens up a multitude of possibilities for building with lower strength and environmentally friendly.
"Striatus stands on the shoulders of giants," says Shajay Bhooshan of Zaha Hadid Architects. “It revives ancient techniques of the past.” Its “tactile quality, aesthetics and strength” reflected the vision “that beauty is a promise of performance”. The joint work makes the striatus bridge "greater than the sum of its individual parts", says Johannes Megens, co-founder of incremental3D. According to Holcim CEO Jan Jenisch, the digital and circular design of the bridge uses "concrete at its best, with minimal use of materials and blocks that can be reassembled and reused infinitely".
Holcim claims to be working on a range of 3D printing applications, from complex infrastructure to affordable housing for Africa. In Malawi, Holcim has put the world's first school made of 3D concrete printing into operation. The construction of the walls took only 18 hours and consumed 70 percent less material than with conventional construction methods.