Home Projects Ultra-thin printed formwork ? The Eggshell Pavilion
ProjectsArchitecture

Ultra-thin printed formwork ? The Eggshell Pavilion

Share
Ultra-thin printed formwork ? The Eggshell Pavilion
Share
The Eggshell Pavilion
© Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich

The Eggshell Pavilion investigates how digital design tools and robotic 3D printing may be used to create freeform concrete buildings out of recycled ultra-thin formwork. The design and production of the pavilion are based on Eggshell technology, which uses computational approaches to create algorithms that produce both the geometry of the building and the fabrication data for the 3D-printing process. In contrast to traditional formwork procedures, which are frequently labor and cost-intensive, the combination of computational design and robotic manufacturing enables designers to shape concrete pieces effectively.

The pavilion was developed and built-in collaboration with students from ETH Zurich’s MAS program in Architecture and Digital Fabrication.

The Eggshell Pavilion
© Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich

The ultra-thin formwork for the Eggshell Pavilion’s architectural components is only three to five millimeters thick. It is built of glass fiber reinforced PET-G that has been partially recycled from earlier Eggshell formworks. Traditional steel reinforcement is used to strengthen both the columns and the floor slabs. They are linked by reversible connectors, allowing the pavilion to be removed and reassembled in a different place.

The Eggshell Pavilion
© Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich

The components are made of two distinct kinds of concrete. The columns are made of fast-setting concrete and cast utilizing a digitally controlled technique. The fast-setting concrete decreases the strain on the formwork to a bare minimum, allowing for the use of thin 3D-printed formwork without risk of breakage. The floor slabs, on the other hand, are cast from ordinary self-compacting concrete since the formwork pressure is reduced due to the low height. Once the concrete has solidified completely, the formwork is removed, cleaned, shredded, and re-compounded for reuse in future 3D printers.

The Eggshell Pavilion
© Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich

Its design emphasizes the design options provided by 3D-printed formwork in conjunction with traditional reinforcing and assembly methods. It highlights how Eggshell technology may be utilized to create an industrially scalable system for material-efficient concrete structures, opening the path for more sustainable concrete use in construction.

The Eggshell Pavilion
© Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich

Project Info

Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich: Joris Burger (project lead research), Petrus Aejmelaeus-Lindström (project lead teaching), Guillaume Jami.
Students: Vasileios Aloutsanidis, El Mehdi Belyasmine, Ananya Kango, Che Wei Lin, Wenjun Liu, Erika Marthins, Nikolaos Maslarinos, Gabriele Mattei, Andrea Victoria Mendoza, Chris Norcross, Muslima Rafikova, Joaquin Tobar Martinez, Katarina Toumpektsi, Jingwen Wang, Ming Yang Wang, Vincent Wörndl, Hanbing Zhao
In cooperation with: Nicolas Fehlmann Ingénieurs Conseils SA (Dr. Filip Niketi), Physical Chemistry of Building Materials, ETH Zurich –- Professor. Dr. Robert J. Flatt (Seyma Gürel Saydam)
Selected Experts: Marc Akermann (IWK Institut für Werkstofftechnik und Kunststoffverarbeitung – Professor. Daniel Schwendemann), Theo Bürgin (Bürgin Creations)
Support: Philippe Fleischmann, Michael Lyrenmann, Tobias Hartmann (Robotic Fabrication Laboratory, ETH Zurich), Andreas Reusser (Physical Chemistry of Building Materials, ETH Zurich)
Sponsors: ABB, Debrunner Acifer Bewehrungen, Holcim, Krinner, MÜLLER-STEINAG ELEMENT AG, NFIC, SACAC AG, Welti Furrer

Share
Written by
Muaz Emre

Architectural Designer, and Computational Design Enthusiast

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Related Articles
Populus Hotel: A Landmark Built from Nature by Studio Gang
Architecture

Populus Hotel: A Landmark Built from Nature by Studio Gang

The Populus Hotel by Studio Gang has introduced a new identity to...

Habitat Qinhuangdao by Safdie Architects Becomes China’s Largest Habitat 67 Inspired Project
Architecture

Habitat Qinhuangdao by Safdie Architects Becomes China’s Largest Habitat 67 Inspired Project

Safdie Architects has completed Phase II of Habitat Qinhuangdao, the firm’s realization...

SOM Architects Reimagine Kuwait University’s Convocation Hall for Desert Conditions
Architecture

SOM Architects Reimagine Kuwait University’s Convocation Hall for Desert Conditions

At the northern edge of Sabah Al-Salem University City in Shadadiya, a...

Emre Arolat Architecture Designs a New Home Concept for a Fire-Affected LA Landscape
Architecture

Emre Arolat Architecture Designs a New Home Concept for a Fire-Affected LA Landscape

Following the January 2025 wildfires that devastated over 11 square kilometers of...

Subscribe to all newsletters

Join our community to receive the latest insights and updates!

© 2025 ParametricArchitecture. All Rights Reserved. By utilizing this website, you are consenting to our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Statement. In compliance with the privacy laws of Turkey and the United States, we recognize and respect your rights. Please be aware that we may receive commissions for products bought through our affiliate links. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or transmission of any material from this site is strictly forbidden without prior written permission from ParametricArchitecture.

ad blocker mark

AdBlocker Detected!

Help Us Keep Our Content Free

Your support helps us continue delivering high-quality resources at no cost to you.

We’ve detected that you are using an AdBlocker. We completely understand the need for a clean browsing experience, but ads help us keep this platform running and continue providing you with high-quality content at no cost.

If you enjoy our content, please consider disabling your AdBlocker or adding our site to your whitelist. Your support allows us to create more valuable articles, tutorials, and resources for you.

Thank you for being a part of our community!