Integrating The Bio-digital Aesthetic Value and Architecture Potential of RLP-Concrete 3D Printing Technology

Abstract

Rapid liquid printing (RLP) is a new research direction for 3D printing technology holding great promise for the field of architecture. It boasts an environmentally friendly, personalised free form mode of printing which is able to produce complex structures with ease. This paper explores recent research into the use of rapid printing technology in architecture and the bio-aesthetic value of its own properties. We have experimentally investigated the materials and techniques required for rapid liquid printing on concrete, with complicating issues pertinent to the printing system identified. A suitable digital design language was investigated following completion of the research. The combination of rapid liquid printing technology and concrete breaks away from the single research direction of 3D printing technology and moves the academic literature towards focusing on biomaterials in ecological architecture fields. Finally, we explore design systems for spaces dominated by collaboration between non-human bodies. The simulation and feedback of specific environments and the cooperation of 3D printing technology create a new and extended space of possibility between nature and architecture.