Impact Printed Structures

Impact printed earth structures in the robotic fabrication lab with a human walking in the space depicting the similar height of the walls

During the first 11-week module of the second trimester (T2) in the MAS ETH programme in Architecture and Digital Fabrication, students explored methods for robotic aggregation of soil-based building blocks through a fast remote deposition process. This approach aimed to create unreinforced, non-standard, and sustainable architectural structures.

Earth construction techniques are gaining attention as viable alternatives to modern materials with high embodied energy and greenhouse gas emissions. However, scaling up these techniques remains challenging due to the material’s complex behavior and mechanical limitations, which restrict its architectural potential. This research hypothesizes that combining earth-based materials with the superior mechanical properties of wood can lead to more robust construction systems and open new design opportunities.

This project, Impact Printed Structures, is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Chair of Sustainable Construction, Gramazio Kohler Research, and the Robotic Systems Lab, supported by ETH Research Grants. The research focused on developing computationally controlled methods for designing and fabricating architectural openings within Impact Printed Structures. Through this approach, the project aimed to address material and mechanical challenges while expanding the architectural possibilities of sustainable construction.

more information about this project

Gramazio Kohler Research
Prof. Matthias Kohler, Prof. Fabio Gramazio

Research team: Kunaljit Chadha, Dr. Lauren Vasey

Teaching team: Dr. Petrus Aejmelaeus-Lindström, Ananya Kango

Research team support: Julie Silva da Assuncao (CSC)(Material Development), Malczyk Grzegorz (RSL)(Robotics Engineer), Victor Leung (GKR)(Hardware), Michael Lyrenmann, Philippe Fleischmann (Technicians)