Architects Michael Hansmeyer and Benjamin Dillenburger are creating a 30-metre-tall tower in the Swiss Alps, which is being 3D-printed with concrete by technology university ETH Zurich.
Named Tor Alva, or White Tower, the building will become the world's "tallest 3D-printed structure" once complete in Mulegns later this year, according to Hansmeyer and Dillenburger.
ETH Zurich has commenced the 3D printing process and so far created eight out of 32 structural columns.
Tor Alva will be 30 metres tall
Hansmeyer and Dillenburger are developing Tor Alva to promote the potential of 3D printing with concrete and how the technology can help minimise the amount of material used in construction.
"At 30 meters in height, Tor Alva will be the tallest 3D-printed structure in the world," said the architects. "The goal was to advance the state of 3D concrete printing to explore how this technology can reduce material consumption while offering a new freedom of design," Hansmeyer told Dezeen.
Its columns will be made from 3D-printed concrete
Tor Alva will sit atop an existing building that was formerly used as a blacksmith's shop. The first eight of its Y-shaped columns will form part of its first floor.
The columns have been 3D printed using a concrete extrusion process developed at ETH Zurich by its Digital Building Technologies (DBT) team, during which they are reinforced with steel.
The first eight of Tor Alva's columns have been printed
According to Hans...