A Modern Take on Traditional Columns: DDW 2024

Design Meets Research at Dutch Design Week

This column segment, featured at Dutch Design Week 2024, embodies a fusion of computational design, material experimentation, and 3D concrete printing. Developed as part of the Computational Concrete Columns series, the piece challenges conventional ideas of form and ornament in architectural elements.

A Collaboration Between Vertico and TU Eindhoven

Created by Cristina Nan (Assistant Professor, TU/e) in collaboration with Mattia Zucco, the column was designed and fabricated within a research setting at Technical University Eindhoven (TU/e). The project is supported by postgraduate students Ahmad Akif Aiman Bin Khairuddin, Reza Aghaei, and Jonas Varnauskas, with computational and printing support from Nikolett Ásványi.

Revealing the Core: Skin, Structure, and Pigment

The design intentionally exposes the relationship between the column’s skin and core, creating a dialogue between inner support and outer ornamentation. The visible layering and pigmentation reflect the material logic of concrete printing while highlighting the expressive potential of robotic fabrication.

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The patterns and surface detailing offer a glimpse into the power of parametric design tools, transforming traditional construction elements into objects of aesthetic and conceptual value.

Pushing Boundaries in 3D Concrete Printing

Printed with Vertico’s robotic 3D concrete printing system, this column explores new dimensions in:

• Material expression
• Sustainable digital fabrication
• Ornamental structure without formwork

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It stands as a physical proof of how academic research and industry collaboration can rethink the role of structural components in architecture