Digital Building Technologies at ETH Zürich explores additive manufacturing and computational design in architecture.
Their project Airlements uses 3D-printed foam from recycled waste to create lightweight insulated walls. Large-scale additive manufacturing eliminates the need for molds, reducing costs, labor, and resources. The foam components have corrugated textures for increased strength. A cement-free mineral foam is used, adjustable in density and porosity for improved insulation and structural strength. Using a single material allows for future reuse or recycling.
Printing each component takes less than an hour, followed by one week of controlled hardening. Temperature ranged from 68 to 82.4 degrees Fahrenheit, with relative humidity from 20% to 70%.
This approach avoids energy-intensive processing, advancing cement-free mineral foams. Future goals include enhancing load-bearing capacity and fabrication precision in additive manufacturing technology.