ETH Meets You at the Swiss Sustainability Forum

The White Tower (“Weisser Turm”) is an over 20-meter tall, entirely 3D printed building. It demonstrates the groundbreaking possibilities of computational design and digital fabrication, which will fundamentally change conventional building in the years to come. Using robotic concrete extrusion process, the concrete can be applied very specifically only where needed, thereby reducing consumption by a half.  The pioneering construction will be used as a cultural site and bring new life to the Graubünden village of Mulengs.

ETH spin-off Oxara has developed a low CO₂ additive technology for a cement-free concrete. It is is 20 times more eco-friendly than ordinary concrete and can be used as non-structural or low load-bearing elements in 2-3 story buildings.  45 million tons of excavated material are thrown away in landfills in Switzerland every year. Oxara uses the landfill material to produce poured earth concrete. Industrially produced, it contributes to a solution for sustainable building and affordable housing.

Every year, 80-90 million tons of waste are generated in Switzerland, 84% of which comes from the construction sector. Due to a fragmented supply chain in the construction sector, buildings are getting demolished, rather than deconstructed. A transition to a circular model, in which we reuse building materials, is urgently needed. Technical knowledge is necessary to plan the safe removal of materials and label them for tracking. There is not yet a feasible circular design and management strategy that can be broadly applied in construction practice. Digitalisation can close this gap.