Benjamin Dillenburger, Michael Hansmeyer, 2013
Digital Grotesque is the first human-scale immersive space entirely constructed out of 3D-printed sandstone. A complex geometry consisting of millions of individual facets is printed at a resolution of a fraction of a millimeter to dimensions of a 3.2-meter high enclosed space. Its geometry was entirely designed through customized algorithms. The application of 3D-printing technology in architecture has up to now been limited to prototyping or producing small-scale models. Material costs are high, machines have limited scales, and the majority of materials are not strong enough to fulfill construction requirements. Sand-printing technology has recently emerged as an additive manufacturing technique that overcomes these limitations. This technology is currently used primarily to create casting forms for industrial applications. Yet it has unique features that make it suitable to create architectural components. Specifically, it allows the fabrication of large-scale elements (currently up to 8 cubic meters in size) with high resolution and accuracy at a competitive price and in a short period of time. In compression, these printed elements behave similarly to natural sandstone. In using this 3D printed technology, ornamentation and free-form geometries are no longer a prohibitive cost factor. The scale of potential three-dimensional differentiation is brought to a micro-level. This technology promises a larger compositional and constructive freedom and a rationalized fabrication of unique, non-standardized architecture.