Striatus 3D printed masonry bridge set to awe visitors at Venice Biennale

The  Block Research Group at ETCH Zurich is working with Zaha Hadid Architects Computation and Design Group (ZHACODE), incremental3D and Holcim to build the Striatus 3D concrete printed masonry bridge, in time for the Venice Biennale exhibit.

The 3D printed bridge is being built for the “Time Space Existence” exhibition, hosted by the European Cultural Centre (ECC) during the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021, which runs from May 22nd through November 2021. It will be built at the Giardini della Marinaressa.

Striatus is an arched, unreinforced masonry footbridge composed of 3D concrete printed blocks. The goal of the project is to establishing a new language for concrete, making Striatus is circular by design and combining traditional masonry with advanced technologies.

Achieving strength through geometry, the Striatus bridge stands solely through compression without reinforcement. Using advanced technologies, from computational design and engineering to robotic manufacturing, Striatus revives traditional master builders’ techniques.

Striatus was designed to place material only where needed, significantly reducing its environmental footprint. With no reinforcement and using dry assembly without binders, it can be repurposed repeatedly. This approach opens up a world of possibilities with concrete in a design that is structurally informed, fabrication-aware and ecologically responsible. Material is precisely placed to build more with less.

Short credits: Block Research Group, ETH Zurich (BRG), Zaha Hadid Architects Computation and Design Group (ZHACODE), in collaboration with incremental3D, made possible by Holcim.
Project website: https://striatusbridge.com
Full credits:
Design: ZHACODE: Jianfei Chu, Vishu Bhooshan, Henry David Louth, Shajay Bhooshan, Patrik Schumacher, ETHZ BRG: Tom Van Mele, Alessandro Dell’Endice, Philippe Block
Structural engineering, ETHZ BRG: Tom Van Mele, Alessandro Dell’Endice, Sam Bouten, Philippe Block
Fabrication design, ETHZ BRG: Shajay Bhooshan, Alessandro Dell’Endice, Sam Bouten, Chaoyu Du, Tom Van Mele, ZHACODE: Vishu Bhooshan, Philip Singer, Tommaso Casucci
3D concrete printing: incremental3D: Johannes Megens, Georg Gasser, Sandro Sanin, Nikolas Janitsch, Janos Mohacsi
Concrete material development: Holcim: Christian Blachier, Marjorie Chantin-Coquard, Hélène Lombois-Burger, Francis Steiner, LafargeHolcim Spain: Benito Carrión, José Manuel Arnau
Assembly: Bürgin Creations, ETHZ BRG: Alessandro Dell’Endice, Tom Van Mele
Logistics: ETHZ BRG: Alessandro Dell’Endice, Tom Van Mele, Holcim Switzerland & Italy: Michele Alverdi
LafargeHolcim Spain: Ricardo de Pablos, José Luis Romero
Additional partners: Ackermann GmbH [CNC timber formwork], L2F Architettura [site measurements], Pletscher [steel supports], ZB Laser [lasercutting neoprene] Documentation: ZHACODE: Jianfei Chu, Vishu Bhooshan, Philip Singer, Cesar Fragachan, Shajay, Bhooshan, Studio NAARO, LBS Fotografia, SiteSing