IAAC 3D Prints Low Emissions Building from Natural Materials

The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) has long been pushing the boundaries of 3D printed architecture. They have now constructed a building using locally sourced materials. The 100-square-meter 3D Printed Earth Forest Campus was created by the IAAC, along with students pursuing a Postgraduate in 3D Printing Architecture (3DPA) in Collserola Natural Park. The building itself is an ongoing experiment that will evolve over time.

The walls can be designed to regulate humidity, insulate, or support the structure, and can vary in thickness from 40 to 70 cm. The hollow walls allow for natural ventilation and the potential to add insulation later on. Because the materials are all natural and local, embedding little emissions in their creation and transport, the building is sustainable. This sustainability also allows students to change and update the building as needed.

3D printing is used to recycle and reform old sections of the building. Such a fluid form of architecture would be terribly wasteful if concrete or other traditional materials were used. This method opens doors to ever more perfect buildings made sustainably. The project won a “Shaping a Circular Industrial Ecosystem” prize at the New European Bauhaus in 2023.

The project used the Crane WASP 3D printer, introduced in 2018, which has been used for Eco Habitats several times before. Starting at $160,000, a dual unit version is also available with a continuous feeding system. The system is modular, allowing additional units to be added for larger prints. The maximum print speed is 200 mm/s, and it can create layers of 12, 15, or 20 mm with 25, 30, and 38 mm nozzles. The printer weighs 800 kg, including the crucial pumping system, and it works with Octoprint and Cura.

The building is based on a 50 cm foundation of natural stone with walls having an earth base. The base was made using 3D printed earth formwork, which was then repurposed for the walls. The earth was locally sourced, dried, and sieved, with fiber added to stabilize the material and reduce shrinkage. Each day, the team 3D printed 25 centimeters of the building.

WASP and IAAC are inching towards the unknown here. We’re used to thinking of 3D printed construction as inherently sustainable. Through the use of less material, it should be more sustainable than other construction methods, and this should be celebrated. However, it is not a complete solution for our planet. If we 3D print every building on earth out of cement and concrete, we would still produce far too many emissions. We’d just be doomed only it would take a bit longer.

But, if a large subset of buildings could be made with local materials, the huge amounts of emissions from making materials, generating the necessary energy, and transporting them will be reduced. At the moment, natural multistory buildings seem improbable. However, with the right combination of fiber and earth, as well as advanced techniques, some multistory structures could potentially be made. If not, sustainable single-story homes and buildings will still make a significant difference.

We still don’t know if IAAC is helping to unveil a new paradigm in architecture. Is this just architecture students in the sun winning awards, or is something more fundamental happening? Are people worldwide working on a completely new way to build?