Collaborative project of IAAC, TECNALIA and NOUMENA which demonstrates the potentials of additive manufacturing technology and robotics in the production of sustainable low-cost buildings that can be built on site with 100% natural materials. Combining technological advances in robotics (cable robot and drones), natural materials and CAD/CAM software, the aim of the project is to bring automation to the construction site, as well as allowing the production of high-performance buildings and their monitoring in real-time during the construction.

Noumena presents N.E.RO [Networking Environmental Robotics], a project exploring robotic applications in real case scenarios from construction sites to mapping public spaces and precision agriculture. Nero drones are customly designed to support the fabrication process through data-collection and mapping, providing services of 3d scanning and photogrammetry implementing on-flight sensors, thermal and infrared cameras. For OSR Nero is specifically monitoring the thermal conditions of the 3d printed wall, informing the fabrication process on the solidification status of the extruded material.

Pylos – Iaac
3D printed bridge – Iaac + Acciona
Bioplatic 3d printing – Iaac
Piel Vivo – Iaac

Minibuilders – Iaac
Nero – Noumena
TerraPerforma- Iaac + Tecnalia
Innochain ESR15

The objective was to develop a technique that went beyond the robot – relying only on its mechanical properties – and allowing a design research based exclusively on the material properties and behaviour. This research process included the optimisation of material mix, using only natural additives, as well as optimizing fabrication times.

The first pedestrian bridge printed in 3D in the world was inaugurated last December 14 in the urban park of Castilla-La Mancha in Alcobendas, Madrid. The Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) was in charge of the architectural design of the bridge, which has a total length of 12 meters and a width of 1.75 meters and is printed in micro-reinforced concrete.

The project TerraPerforma focuses on large scale 3D printing, the influence of additive manufacturing on building with a traditional material – unfired clay – and climatic performative design

Unlike plastics derived from fossil fuels, bio-plastic is made from organic compounds, and therefore can be part of the full life-cycle design, also known as the “Cradle-to-cradle” approach.

Robotics offers great potential towards innovation within the construction industry. However, in their current implementation applied to the architectural field, in particular construction robotics, these systems all share a specific limitation: the scale. Hence, the project here below elaborated aims to address this particular limitation through the creation of a technology that is both scalable and capable of fabricating structures using tools that are independent of the final product’s shape or size.