
The ITECH-Talents project, which was funded by the School for Talents at the University of Stuttgart last year, aimed to provide selected students with practical experience in the transferability of principles from nature to architecture and design.
In close collaboration with the livMatS Cluster of Excellence at the University of Freiburg, ITECH talents from our programme have researched potential applications of 3D printing in conjunction with modes of action derived from nature. They researched how these functionalities can be transferred to architecture with a particular focus on the technical implementation of 3D printing as a manufacturing process.
At first, smaller prototypes were produced using desktop 3D printers. However, as the project progressed, the students transitioned to the robotic additive manufacturing platform at the ICD's Large-Scale Additive Robotic Manufacturing Lab in Stuttgart-Wangen. Through experimentation with the large-scale printing process and the end effector, the students optimised the printing parameters to achieve the desired patterns, porosities, overhangs, and translucencies. They generated robot codes to iterate through these experiments, refining their prototypes. In the end, the students successfully presented their work —3D printed façade elements made from cellulose-based and recycled granulates— to a wider audience at the Science Day of the University of Stuttgart
Another positive aspect of the ITECH Talents project is the growing network that has formed over the last few years through collaborations. Former students regularly get involved and enrich the programme with their knowledge and experience.
The School for Talents also enabled selected ITECH students to take part in the opening of the renowned 2023 Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB). There, the students were not only able to help prepare the exhibition of the HygroShell - ITECH Research Pavilion, but also to present their own research work to an international audience.
For more information on the program, please visit: https://www.project.uni-stuttgart.de/school-for-talents/de/