AECTUALLY, IT’S 3D PRINTED WORDS: LAURA GRIFFITHS
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f you’ve walked through the terminal building at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, you perhaps won’t have noticed that the floor you rolled your suitcase across was, in fact, 3D printed. It’s one of the many high-profile projects realized by Aectual, a provider of large, bespoke 3D printed architectural and interior products that demonstrate the true potential for additive manufacturing (AM) in the built world. Inspired by classic terrazzo flooring, the end result is a combination of 3D printed patterns fused with a bio-based terrazzo infill, built using a sustainable AM workflow which Aectual opened up to AEC professionals and consumers in a new online beta platform back in January. It’s an idea that grew out of the 3D Printed Canal House project in Amsterdam, a renowned R&D venture conceived by Dutch DUS Architects to build a full-size canal house using a largescale, portable AM system known as the KamerMaker. Today, through Aectual, that same team is now deploying that very technology to produce mass customized products such as wall panels, flooring, room dividers and stairs with 100% recyclable, renewable materials. “We actually got a lot of questions over the years from architects [and] colleagues that would also love to do something with the technology,” Hedwig Heinsman, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Aectual, told TCT. “We realized we really would love to build a platform where anyone can just go online and customize their own interior and architectural products and ultimately, even buildings. So, at that moment, we decided to just take the plunge.” Through this new platform, consumers can tailor the size, colors and patterns across a line of 12 signature parametric pieces, while those in the AEC industry are being invited to collaborate and develop their own products. To date,
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mediums like glass and concrete but the start-up has been mindful to ensure that this sustainability focus remains true even in those more GUHRING CUTTING TOOLS PRODUCED WITH AM Heinsman shares classic materials. how, in this case, they were able to use The Aectual solution comprises of a waste marble material and replace the proprietary extrusion-based 3D printing traditional binding agent with a plant technology, robotics from ABB and based alternative while, in another recyclable materials, including specially project, they managed to recycle developed plant-based polymer pellets used Budweiser bottles into a unique engineered with Henkel. But perhaps flooring concept at the Capital C offices the biggest takeaway from Aectual’s in Amsterdam. platform is how its foundation is firmly rooted in the circular economy. Back in 2019, while outlining its ‘The Future of Making’ ambitions for design automation, software provider Autodesk shared findings that 30% of global waste comes from the construction industry. Aectual’s strategy seeks to address this crucial challenge. In addition to leveraging the outward benefits of additive versus subtractive manufacturing – less waste, less material usage – Aectual says its process promises less CO2 emissions compared to traditional methods of manufacture for custom architectural products and promotes a full end-toend sustainable customer journey, which encourages buyers to return their Aectual pieces once they’re no longer needed so that they can be shredded and repurposed into new products. this design-to-delivery platform has been deployed in over 50 projects for established customers like Nike and BMW Group. SHOWN:
“The whole production process will only become more and more sustainable.”
Of Aectual’s ethos, Heinsman said: “We had several pillars. One was really the idea of community or democratizing architecture so that you can really give people access to the act of shaping their environments - ultimately, entire homes and communities but we start small with these products. And of course, the whole aspect of creating without any waste and working with recycled and more natural materials has also been really a core element from the start.” As the Schiphol Airport project shows, Aectual’s work blends 3D printing with traditional construction
While products are manufactured in-house at Aectual’s Amsterdam production facility, which currently houses four robot arms with a huge print area of 500 sq. ft., Heinsman adds that in future, there’s scope to leverage additive’s other highly touted green attribute – localized production. “That’s of course really how we envision it in the future - there will be just a lot of local hubs and we can connect to all kinds of digital manufacturing techniques,” Heinsman said. “At the moment, I think it’s already a better alternative because we can
