"Rock Print" at the Chicago Architecture Biennial 2015
Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich and the Self-Assembly Lab, MIT install "Rock Print," a 3D printed rock installation in the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial 2015 (October 3, 2015 - January 3, 2016)
Rock Print
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago Architecture Biennial
October 3, 2015 – January 3, 2016
Using innovative robotic technology, Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland) and the Self-Assembly Lab, MIT install a 3D printed rock installation in the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial 2015.
A specifically designed algorithm guided a robotic arm in a three-dimensional "rock printing" process. With the precision that only a robot can provide, it positioned a textile filament layer-by-layer around which loose granular material formed a distinctive shape. The self-aggregating capacity of this digitally crafted design configuration results in a large-scale architectural artefact that requires no additional support elements.
Going far beyond the manual assembly techniques of dry masonry, this endeavor presents a unique combination of state-of-the-art digital design and fabrication technology with building material science. It introduces a sustainable, economical, and structurally sound construction method that fundamentally challenges conventional architecture.
Media Information
Rock Print Press Kit
Visit the Rock Print Press Kit for a detailed project description, bios, images, and video downloads:
Rock Print team
Fabio Gramazio, Matthias Kohler, Skylar Tibbits, Andreas Thoma (project lead installation), Petrus Aejmelaeus-Lindstroem (project lead research), Volker Helm, Sara Falcone, Lina Kara'in, Jared Laucks, Michael Lyrenmann, Carrie McKnelly, George Varnavides, Stephane de Weck, Jan Willmann.
Selected experts
Prof. Dr. Hans J. Herrmann and Dr. Falk K. Wittel (ETH Zurich), Prof. Dr. Heinrich Jaeger and Kieran Murphy (Chicago University)
Selected consultants
Walt + Galmarini AG
Support
The project is supported by ETH Zurich and the Department of Architecture as well as by an ETH Zurich Research Grant. It is co-supported by MIT's Department of Architecture, the MIT International Design Center, and an MIT International Science and Technology Initiative (MISTI) Grant.
More information
- Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich
- external page Skylar Tibbits' Self Assembly Lab, MIT
- external page Chicago Architectural Biennial
- ETH Zurich
Social media
Please like and follow Rock Print on the ETH Zurich, Global Facebook and external page ETH Zurich Twitter channels using the hashtags:
#RockPrint
#ETH
#Chicago Biennial
Rock Print Gallery
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Image showing the textile filament that forms "Rock Print." -
Close-up image of "Rock Print" showing the unique depth and curves of the installation. -
Robotic arm lays down a textile filiament using a specialized algorithm.
Rock Print Science City Campus Test
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"Rock Print" test on the Science City Campus, ETH Zurich -
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Media Contacts:
ETH Zurich
Architecture & Digital Fabrication
Dr. Jan Willmann
HIL F 57.1
Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5
8093 Zürich
Switzerland
Tel. +41 44 633 46 11
ETH Zurich
Corporate Communication
Marianne Lucien
HG F 37.4
Rämistrasse 101
8092 Zürich
Switzerland
Tel. +41 44 633 84 75
