It’s telling that this yr’s Venice Biennale of Structure encompasses a plethora of 3D printed works, from Anti-Smash, a 3D printed gate produced from a marble mud materials, to Picoplanktonics, a residing 3D printed set up on the Canadian Pavilion. The expertise is clearly on the cutting-edge of structure and is an efficient software for architects and designers to reimagine and play with new designs and supplies. We just lately realized of yet one more 3D printed challenge, which is on show in Venice’s Giardini della Marinaressa: Duality, a sculpture 3D printed from coloured concrete.
Whereas most 3D printed concrete constructions we see as we speak are uniform gray, Duality reveals a brand new and extra colourful avenue for concrete finishes. The experimental sculpture was developed by assistant professor Cristina Nan from TU Eindhoven and architect Mattia Zucco, with help from Dutch 3D printing firm Vertico and is a part of the bigger Time. House. Existence. Exhibition. The coloration of the concrete materials was achieved utilizing pigments from German chemical firm Lanxess.
The sculpture itself is a reinterpretation of a classical column that presents us with an outer layer that opens as much as reveal an inside core. The outer pores and skin of the column is pigmented black utilizing a black iron oxide, whereas the interior core is a wealthy copper shade, achieved utilizing a purple iron oxide pigment. The design additionally drew inspiration from classical Greek columns by means of the printing of separate drum-like sections, that are stacked to create the ultimate type.
Duality’s modular development consists of 9 drums and 4 wings, every weighing underneath 30 kg to facilitate transportation and meeting. The column may also be disassembled and rebuilt, extending its lifespan and making a number of exhibitions doable. “Fairly than pursuing the traditional logic of printing total parts in a single go, the challenge embraces a modular technique, impressed by historical Greek and Roman assemblies,” the challenge states. “Duality is greater than a technical prototype—it’s a manifesto for a future the place computational design, shade, materiality and creativeness intersect.”
Zooming out barely, the challenge matches into the framework of an ongoing investigation by Lanxess into the affect of pigments on 3D printed concrete. The chemical firm is working intently with companions just like the Institute of Development Supplies on the Technical College of Dresden to judge how pigments like Bayferrox and Colortherm affect materials properties. Up to now, outcomes have proven that there is no such thing as a affect and can be utilized safely to convey extra shade into the world of development 3D printing.
