POLYCARB HOUSE °*
TEETER DOCK °*
LENTICULAR COLUMN °*
CLOSED LOOP °*
HYPAR CANOPY °
SHARED BEDS °*
MATERIAL MUSEUM °
SPLIT HOUSE °
DRAPED STONE °*
FLAT STAND °
TIP TAP °*
ROCKER °*
ARCADE °*
TAUT °*
VEER °*
SLING °
ENFOLD °
THREE LEVEL HOUSE °
CHI-OSK °
FIBROUS TECTONICS °
ACTIVE COMPOSITES °
PETRO HOUSE °
BCL * Recycled Plastic Robotic 3D Printing
DATE 2022 - 2024
LOCATION Ithaca
TYPEMaterial Research & Public Installation
DESIGN LEADDavid Costanza
DESIGN TEAM Zekai Lin
Riley Wines
Jonathan Wilmers
OVERVIEW The Closed Loop bench comprises six self-similar components, robotically printed and assembled on-site using an integrated post-tension ring. The project's ambitions are both cultural/societal and technical. Culturally, it aims to make connections between often discrete groups or individuals by producing a piece of shared public furniture. Technically, it investigates the use of bioplastics with the automation of production offered by robotic 3D printing.
The bench's geometry organizes the seating areas into three smaller sections that are socially distanced from one another while belonging to the same closed loop. The bench is made of 6 self-similar components printed independently and assembled on-site. The triangular cross-section produces a flat surface for the seating component and then rotates to an inverted triangle to elevate from the ground and divide the seating areas. The robotic printing technique utilized 5-axis printing on an oblique print bed with variable layer thickness, producing the radial geometry without a support structure.