Eggshell Pavilion
In the second trimester of the MAS ETH programme in Architecture and Digital Fabrication, students completed an 11-week module focused on developing a concrete pavilion using ultra-thin 3D printed formwork. Building on Eggshell, an ongoing research initiative by Gramazio Kohler Research, the project explored the real-world potential of this innovative fabrication method.
The Eggshell technology allows the creation of optimised, material-efficient concrete structures through robotically 3D printed formwork. These ultra-thin formworks are filled with set-on-demand concrete, reducing formwork pressure and enabling high geometric flexibility. This approach also supports the integration of conventional steel reinforcement. Previous research demonstrated that this method could achieve material savings of over 40% in structural elements like columns and floor slabs.
The pavilion provided a full-scale application of this system, illustrating how digital fabrication technologies and computational design workflows can produce efficient and sustainable architectural structures. By demonstrating the scalability and practicality of Eggshell in a construction context, the project addressed key challenges in material use and sustainability within the architecture and construction industries.
Gramazio Kohler Research
Prof. Matthias Kohler, Prof. Fabio Gramazio
Research team: Joris Burger (project lead research)
Teaching team: Petrus Aejmelaeus-Lindström (project lead teaching), Guillaume Jami, Seyma Gürel Saydam, Philippe Fleischmann
Selected Experts: IWK Institut für Werkstofftechnik und Kunststoffverarbeitung (Prof. Daniel Schwendemann), Marc Akermann
In cooperation with: Nicolas Fehlmann Ingénieurs Conseils SA, Dr. Filip Niketic
Sponsors: NFIC, Müller Steinag, Holcim, Debrunner, SACAC, ABB
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