---
title: "AM opens creative (and sustainable) design possibilities for retail spaces"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/am-opens-creative-and-sustainable-design-possibilities-for-retail-spaces/
date: 2025-03-14
modified: 2025-03-16
lang: en
author: "Tess Boissonneault"
description: "Additive manufacturing is rising in popularity in a number of consumer-focused areas, from footwear and sports equipment, to eyewear and home goods. Not only is 3D printing enabling designers and..."
categories:
  - "Architecture"
  - "Consumer Products"
  - "Design"
  - "Furniture"
  - "Sustainability"
  - "Visual Marketing"
tags:
  - "Featured"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/aectual-3-640x393.jpeg
word_count: 1241
---

# AM opens creative (and sustainable) design possibilities for retail spaces

Additive manufacturing is rising in popularity in a number of consumer-focused areas, from footwear and sports equipment, to eyewear and home goods. Not only is 3D printing enabling designers and brands to directly produce consumer goods, however, it is also allowing retailers to transform their marketing and customer experiences through cutting-edge interiors and installations. As we'll see, a growing number of retail stores and dining establishments are turning to 3D printing to create unique environments for their customers, in some cases offering a competitive edge through the mere novelty of the space and in all cases leveraging the technology to take design to a more sustainable, more brand-aligned level.

[![Dubai Restaurant Proto21 largest 3D printed sculpture](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/proto21-2-256x340.jpeg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/proto21-2.jpeg)Restaurant MYATA in Dubai

The most recent example of this comes out of Dubai, where restaurant MYATA Platinum recently broke the Guinness World Record for the [largest 3D printed structure by volume](https://www.voxelmatters.com/dubai-restaurant-myata-breaks-guinness-world-record-for-largest-3d-printed-structure/) with its restaurant design. The space, which features 23 large 3D printed structures made by Proto21, immerses MYATA diners in a moody world that feels like being both indoors and in nature. More specifically, the rippled, fluid texture of the 3D printed installations are evocative of the eroded texture of rocky sand canyons, while the space is also textured with many trees and plants (in 3D printed planters).

The record-breaking 3D printed structures were made primarily from PLA and PETG (though outside components were 3D printed from glass-fiber reinforced PP to withstand the Dubai sun). According to 3D printing service Proto21, the massive project required 10,500 3D printed parts and 10.2 tons of material.

Traveling now to Italy, where the Megalò Shopping Center in Chieti, Abruzzo installed [a series of 1,400 3D printed LED light fixtures](https://www.voxelmatters.com/megalo-shopping-center-in-italy-features-1400-3d-printed-lights/). The custom designed lighting solutions, which were made using the Philips MyCreation program by Signify, are part of the retail center's efforts to transition to more sustainable solutions and replace its conventional fluorescent lighting.

[![Megalo shopping center 3D printed LED housings](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/megalo-signify-3dprinted-lamps-1-340x227.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/megalo-signify-3dprinted-lamps-1.jpg)The Megalò Shopping Center in Chieti

The 3D printed downlights were customized to fit into existing light housings, thus facilitating the switch from florescent to LED and eliminating the need for any adapter rings. Notably, the 3D printed housings are made from 65% post-industrial recycled materials, also in line with the Megalò Shopping Center's sustainability goals. While other 3D printing projects in this article are all about making décor that stands out, this particular use case has a different end: to maintain the aesthetic integrity of the retail space while making it more efficient. 3D printing was vital to this and now with its new LEDs the shopping center has reduced its energy consumption by 70% (a cost saving of around €90,000).

Another brand also turned to Philips MyCreation to design custom light fixtures. Perhaps you've heard of it—a little fast food chain known as McDonald's. Marc Pochert, Senior Director of Global Design Integration at McDonald’s, spearheaded a [new lighting design concept.](https://www.voxelmatters.com/mcdonalds-embraces-3d-printing-with-new-light-fixtures/) 3D printing proved to be the best solution, meeting the company's needs in terms of IP ownership, sustainability and design.

[![McDonalds Philips MyCreation](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mcdonalds-3.jpeg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mcdonalds-3.jpeg)McDonalds location with 3D printed pendant lights

Partnering with Signify, McDonalds was able to realize a lighting series for its restaurants consisting of pendant lights with a translucent, hemispherical structure and an embossed pattern. Notably, the design validation process took just three months with Philips MyCreation. On top of that, the final product is made from 3D printing materials derived at least 55% from recycled plastics, which is a step in the right direction for the brand and its mission to reduce its carbon footprint by 60% by 2030. The plan, when McDonalds announced the use of 3D printing for its decor, was to gradually roll out the pendant light fixtures across restaurants in over 100 countries.

[![Boss Aectual retail space](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/d58cb6b12711438a2569ae1a56da7682569aff65-1080x1350-1-e1724920821942-340x246.webp)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/d58cb6b12711438a2569ae1a56da7682569aff65-1080x1350-1-e1724920821942.webp)BOSS flagship store at İstinye Park in Istanbul

Design innovation and sustainability also combine seamlessly at the [BOSS flagship store at İstinye Park in Istanbul](https://www.voxelmatters.com/aectuals-latest-project-is-a-3d-printed-facade-for-boss/). Dutch company [Aectual](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/aectual/), which specializes in large-scale 3D printed architectural elements, in collaboration with architecture firm Ippolito Fleitz Group, created a façade for the retail space that is visually unique and eco-conscious. The façade itself consists of 136 panels—made from recycled post-industrial PP—whose design is inspired by the textures and patterns of textile weaving. The resulting effect resembles a woven skin covering 73 square meters of the storefront.

Aectual's robotic 3D printing platform was used to create the panels, which were then assembled using an integrated interlocking system. More than adding a unique texture and visual effect to the storefront, the 3D printed panels also provide natural shading, which reduces the retailer's reliance on energy-consuming air conditioning. Also on the sustainable front, Aectual operates based on a circular production model, meaning that it takes back 3D printed structures at the end of their life to be reprocessed as raw material for 3D printing.

The Dutch 3D printing company was also involved in a project closer to home: it provided unique [3D printed wall panels](https://www.voxelmatters.com/aectuel-3d-prints-wall-panels-for-nio-house-amsterdam/) for NIO House Amsterdam, the flagship European showroom for electric car manufacturer NIO. The wall panels, made from recycled Tetrapak, were customized with a varied fluted texture and were designed to fit the space perfectly, adhering to its various curves and nooks.

[![Aectual 3D prints Tiffany & Co. façade using recycled ocean plastic. Designed by MVRDV and located at Singapore’s prestigious Changi Airport.](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/tiffany-3-340x227.jpeg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/tiffany-3-scaled.jpeg)Tiffany & Co. storefront at Changi Airport in Singapore

Many other brands and spaces are turning to 3D printing to create unique retail experiences while also boosting sustainability, from small businesses like a [Barcelona coffee shop](https://www.voxelmatters.com/transforming-coffee-grounds-into-3d-printed-design-elements/) that integrated a bar, stools and lighting 3D printed using a material derived from coffee byproducts, to luxury designers like Tiffany & Co., which in 2023 introduced a [3D printed storefront](https://www.voxelmatters.com/aectual-3d-prints-tiffany-co-facade-using-recycled-ocean-plastic/) made from recycled ocean plastic (by MVRDV and Aectual) at its Singapore airport location, to global brands like adidas, which integrated a [32-meter façade](https://www.voxelmatters.com/proto21-3d-prints-32-meter-long-modular-facade-for-adidas-flagship-store-in-dubai/) (by Proto21) onto its Dubai storefront in 2021.

Ultimately, 3D printing—and large-format 3D printing in particular—is facilitating the shift towards more experience-oriented shopping and dining, which is an increasing trend in retail due to the impacts of online commerce and other factors.

Just as we published this article, a new story emerged about 3D printing for retail space. Presentedby’s first airport location at Zayed International Airport (Abu Dhabi), was designed by [Dr. Carmelo Zappulla](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmelozappulla/) from [External Reference Architects](https://www.linkedin.com/company/external-reference/) to redefine experiential retail through a seamless, flowing interior manufactured using recycled plastic and modular 3D printed components. Inspired by the movement of water, the design gives the space a sculptural quality while optimizing material efficiency.

![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LAMAQUINA_Presentedby_1741856400848.jpg)

![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LAMAQUINA_Presentedby_1741856402582.jpg)

[Barcelona-based LAMAQUINA](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/lamaquina/) provided the robotic LFAM 3D printing technology to produce 94 custom pieces, some reaching 2.5 meters high. The is not LAMAQUINA's first rodeo as the company also 3D printed several 3D printed elements for Plaza Mahou, the space inside the new Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where fans and visitors to Los Blancos’ temple can have a beer produced just a few meters from the bar, while watching Real Madrid's spectacular football matches.

For the Presentedby shop at Dubai airport, LAMAQUINA was tasked with creating elements inspired by water movement, so that the design could bring a sculptural quality to the space while optimizing material efficiency. The structure was engineered for dry assembly, allowing for a rapid, tool-free installation—a crucial factor in the high-traffic airport environment. The precision of 3D printing ensured each component maintained seamless structural integrity, reducing weak points and enhancing durability for continuous foot traffic. Beyond aesthetics and efficiency, this project also met stringent fire safety regulations, ensuring compliance without compromising the organic, flowing form.