a fully immersive, human-scale architectural object, created by michael hansmeyer and benjamin dillenburger emerges as the first life-sized construction to be entirely 3D printed out of sandstone. ‘digital grotesque‘ is now a realized space, consisting of two individual halves that form an aggregate volume — the grotto. from the outside, the structure presents itself as a cubical mass, but its interior hides an intricate geometry of millions of design facets. the room’s impossible ornamentation and free-form geometries represent a paradigm shift within the field of digital fabrication.
image courtesy of hansmeyer / dillenburger
every aspect of the object is materialized by custom designed algorithms. using computer based data input, a geometric mesh of 260 million specified micro-details emerges as an architectural unit. the medium, and the process of its assembly, is a carefully chosen component of the project. sand-printing technology has recently emerged as manufacturing technique that overcomes the limitations of 3D printing, which typically is confined to prototyping and small-scale models. the process allows the creation of large-scale elements with high resolution and accuracy, which are fully self-supporting and can be assembled as a solid construction.
digital grotesque. printing architecture
video courtesy of digital grotesque
in june, designboom covered the 1:3 scale prototype of ‘digital grotesque’, which premiered in the swiss art awards in basel, switzerland. our feature, which includes detailed images of the generation and fabrication process, can be seen here.
image courtesy of hansmeyer / dillenburger
image courtesy of hansmeyer / dillenburger
image courtesy of hansmeyer / dillenburger
image courtesy of demetris shammas / achilleas xydis
image courtesy of demetris shammas / achilleas xydis
image courtesy of demetris shammas / achilleas xydis
3D PRINTING (536)
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Actually I remember reading somewhere that seams are considered an aesthetic feature in greek&roman art&architecture
What an amazing structure with fine details. So this is sand-printing. I never thought it would be this spectacular compared to 3D printing. What really got my attention though is the design. So complex yet it was a success.
I have to agree about the seams. They’re immediately what my eye went to and I couldn’t shake them. Kinda like a scar from the 21st century, which says something in itself, I guess.
But… the ugly seams! ‘Custom designed algorithms’ and ‘millions of design facets’ but not a single effort to conceal / integrate the joinery? Ruins – for me – what could have otherwise been a fantastic piece.
Imagine if Gaudi’d had one…