The town of Alcobendas near Madrid is the home of the first pedestrian bridge printed in 3D. The Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) was in charge of the architectural design of the bridge, which has a total length of 12 meters and a width of 1.75 meters and is printed in micro-reinforced concrete.
With this bridge design, the IAAC remains committed to innovation and becomes a global pioneer in large-scale 3D printing. The 3D printed footbridge of Alcobendas, designed with Rhino and Grasshopper, represents a milestone for the construction sector at international level, since, to date, this technology has not been applied in the field of civil engineering.
The 3D printed bridge, which reflects the complexities of nature’s forms, was developed through parametric design, to optimize the distribution of materials and minimize the amount of waste by recycling the raw material during manufacturing. The computational design also allows maximizing the structural performance, disposing the material only where it is needed, total freedom of forms, maintaining the porosity thanks to the application of generative algorithms and challenging the traditional techniques of construction.
Posted Oct 09, 2017 by Delia Robalo on Rhino News, etc.