The FRAC Centre in Orleans, France plans to exhibit a slightly unusual piece of architecture next month. The 20 square-meter modern interpretation of a grotto was created from millions of grains of sand bound with a resin for a new type of sandstone. The difference is that this is a full-scale 3D printed room.
It is the work of the German computational architect, Michael Hansmeyer, and his colleague Benjamin Dillenburger who are based at the Computer-aided Architectural Design Department at the Swiss Federal Institute in Zurich. For this project the duo used algorithms to create complex architecture forms and printed their design on a huge printer from German firm Voxejet that creates moulds for machine part.
3D printing is currently all the rage with designers. Even the catwalk has been embracing the technology. Most recently fashion designer Michael Schmidt and architect Francis Bitonti made a series of 3D printed dresses for model and dancer Dita Von Teese – the printer had been programmed to take precise measurements of her contours. They are highly sculptural and reveal the possibilities of exploring the technology further.
Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing sets out to explore the technology – the printers that make all this possible. Readers will see how the printer transforms digital information into a physical object by carrying out instructions from an electronic design file. This engaging book takes the reader on a journey that explores how 3D printing will impact our lives. Fabricated is ideal if you’re interested in integrating 3D printing into your work, but are not experts in design software.
Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing is written by Hod Lipson and Melba Kurman and published by Wiley.
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