The bridge demonstrator showcases the potential of Injection 3D Concrete Printing (I3DCP) for producing filigree, lightweight, and material-efficient concrete structures. Developed within the Collaborative Research Centre Additive Manufacturing in Construction (AMC), the prototype demonstrates a departure from conventional layer-based 3D concrete printing toward true three-dimensional fabrication.
In the I3DCP process, a robot injects a concrete strand into a specially adapted, non-hardening carrier fluid that temporarily supports the material, allowing complex spatial geometries to be formed. After printing, the carrier fluid is removed, leaving a lightweight yet structurally efficient concrete structure.
Due to robotic workspace limitations, the bridge was fabricated in five segments and subsequently assembled into a continuous structure. Measuring 4.20 meters in length and weighing approximately 312 kilograms, the bridge achieves a load-bearing capacity more than 20 times its own weight. The design was exhibited in 2023 as part of the Time Space Existence exhibition at the European Cultural Centre during the Venice Architecture Biennale.
[1] Hack, Norman, Inka Dressler, Leon Brohmann, Stefan Gantner, Dirk Lowke, and Harald Kloft. "Injection 3D concrete printing (I3DCP): Basic principles and case studies." Materials 13, no. 5 (2020): 1093.
[2] Lowke, Dirk, Aileen Vandenberg, Alexandre Pierre, Amaury Thomas, Harald Kloft, and Norman Hack. "Injection 3D concrete printing in a carrier liquid-Underlying physics and applications to lightweight space frame structures." Cement and Concrete Composites 124 (2021): 104169.
[3] Xiao, Yinan, Aileen Vandenberg, Dirk Lowke, Inka Mai, Pierluigi D’Acunto, Harald Kloft, and Norman Hack. "Automated Robotic Assembly Planning of Space Trusses for Injection 3D Concrete Printing." Automation in Construction 179, no. 10644 (2025): 0.
[4] Lowke, Dirk, Ana Anton, Richard Buswell, Selen Ercan Jenny, Robert J. Flatt, Ena Lloret Fritschi, Norman Hack, Inka Mai, Mariana Popescu, and Harald Kloft. "Digital fabrication with concrete beyond horizontal planar layers." Cement and Concrete Research 186 (2024): 107663.
[5] Injection 3D Concrete Printing: From Structural Geometry to Fabrication N Hack, H Kloft, I Mai, P D'Acunto, Y Xiao, D Lowke - Architectural Design, 2024
[6] AMC collaborative demonstrators: validation of integrated research methodologies through collaborative AMC prototyping K Doerfler, NP Hack, K Henke, H Kloft, J Vollrath… - 2023
[7] Xiao, Yinan, Yuchi SHEN, Norman Hack, and Pierluigi D’Acunto. "A structure-and fabrication-informed strategy for the design of lattice structures with Injection 3D Concrete Printing." (2022).
[8] Lowke, Dirk, Aileen Vandenberg, Alexandre Pierre, Amaury Thomas, Harald Kloft, and Norman Hack. "Injection 3D concrete printing in a carrier liquid-Underlying physics and applications to lightweight space frame structures." Cement and Concrete Composites 124 (2021): 104169.
[9] Xiao, Yinan, Shen Yuchi, Norman Hack, and Pierluigi D'Acunto. "A structure-and fabrication-informed strategy for the design of lattice structures with Injection 3D Concrete Printing." (2022).
