XtreeE 3D concrete printing
French company XtreeE has been using 3D printed concrete in projects since 2015. Their latest creation, completed in March 2017, is an organic truss-style support structure for a preschool playground in Aix-en-Provence.
The building itself was designed by Marc Dalibard, but XtreeE executed the final design and production of the concrete column.
The finished piece stands 4 m tall and blends seamlessly with the concrete of the preschool building.
To create the structure, XtreeE programmed an industrial robot to extrude a special mixture of concrete to form the ‘envelope’, or outer layer, of the organic structure. The hollow envelope was then filled with concrete and filed to remove the appearance of each printed layer, creating a smooth surface that calls to mind the twisted roots of a tree.
The structure was printed in segments at the XtreeE studio and then assembled on site. The printing process took over 15 hours, however, they believe that in theory, once the print program is written, it could be used to produce a large number of identical concrete supports with less workforce requirements than traditional methods.
Content and images courtesy of XtreeE.
Images © Lisa Ricciotti
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles
Check out some of the best features and news from Designing Buildings as well as key stories from around the web.
Why being a mentor can help your career.
Channel 4 broadcaster to host 125th anniversary ceremony.
Listed structures on the rail network
Heritage interests and operational requirements must be balanced.
Historic England publishes research into embodied carbon when retrofitting traditional buildings.
New Prime Minister delivers on ECA call for cut in electricity costs.
CIOB reacts to the announcement of Andy Burnham as Prime Minister.
Heritage and conservation science workforce survey - Have your say.
England's Suburbs 1820-2020. Book review.
New, more proportionate and targeted approach for higher-risk building assessments.
Government brings British Steel into public ownership.
UKCW Birmingham returns with bold new theme and focus.
New guidance published on competence requirements for self-certification schemes.