Itaca: the self-sufficient and eco-sustainable 3D printed house
Italian 3D printing company WASP introduces Itaca, a self-sufficient and environmentally sustainable 3D printedhousing model. The project is based on the thesis that on Earth, a space of 33 meters in diameter can provide sufficient living environment for up to four people, if specific knowledge and technology are applied. The endeavor aims to make a core of four people (two adults and two children) independent and enable them to live off-grid, without electricity, water, gas, and sewer connections. The inventors hope that Itaca will also lead to innovations in the colonization of the Moon.
‘Getting a place as harsh as the moon to be inhabited is hard to imagine, but science says it can be done. Why don’t we apply the same technologies here on Earth, to get even the most extreme environments to be hospitable?’, says Massimo Moretti, CEO of WASP.
Itaca is a self-sufficient and environmentally sustainable 3D printed housing model | all images courtesy of WASP
food, water, energy, and economic self-sufficiency
The Itaca model is 3D printed by Crane WASP using natural zero-kilometer materials. The concept is to apply the knowledge and digital fabrication necessary to create a space that improves the quality of life in areas where water, food and industrial facilities are scarce. The applied technological solutions lead to an optimized circular microeconomy that allows independent, off-grid living while maintaining ecological balance. The team at WASP has already acquired a plot of land near Bologna where the first Itaca will be built over the next year. Itaca is an educational project, an open-source laboratory in which anyone can participate.
‘For us at WASP, Itaca represents a path towards food, water, energy, and economic self-sufficiency. A proposal for a solution to the social, energy, climate, and mass migration crisis. For us, digitization and 3D printing are a response to the needs of humanity.’ Massimo Moretti mentions.
Itaca proves that a 33-meters diameter space can provide a sufficient living environment for up to four people
the Itaca model is made of natural zero-kilometer materials
the applied technological solutions lead to a circular microeconomy maintaining the ecological balance
Promotion: Fiandre Architectural Surfaces porcelain slabs, digitally printed with 1.5 million icons, cover the facade of an Armenian church in Texas designed by New York-based architect David Hotson.
For the facade of Saint Sarkis Armenian Church in Carrollton, Texas, architect David Hotson and Yerevan-trained architectural designer Ani Sahakyan worked closely with Italian architectural surface manufacturer Fiandre to create a facade that works at a series of visual scales.
The church is covered with Fiandre porcelain slabs
The church’s western facade that surrounds its entrance is clad with porcelain slabs depicting a traditional Armenian cross or “tree of life” with distinctive floral branching arms. This Armenian symbol of faith in the face of suffering and of resurrection and redemption serves as a memorial to the victims of the Armenian genocide.
Viewed more closely, as the visitor approaches the church, the cross is composed of interwoven botanical and geometrical motifs drawn from Armenian art. These motifs represent the bonds of ancestry and tradition that have bound the Armenian community together across centuries of challenge and upheaval.
Examined from even closer proximity, visitors will be able to see that the slabs are covered with individual icons or pixels, each one centimetre in diameter.
Printed at a high resolution using Fiandre’s “Design Your Slab” or DYS printed porcelain slab system, the tiny icons – 1.5 million in total – cover the entire church facade. All of the icons are unique and derived from the circular emblems that recur throughout Armenian decorative arts.
The ceramic slabs are printed with 1.5 million icons based on ancient Armenian motifs
The 1.5 million unique icons are designed to symbolise the individuals who were murdered in the Armenian genocide. The scale of the individual icons that are spread across the entire building facade is intended to make tangible the scale of this historical atrocity.
To create the facade design, a computer script was developed by architectural designer Ben Elmer to generate the icons based on ancient Armenian ornamental motifs.
These icons were scaled to fit a total of 1.5 million on the facade and were distributed according to density to form larger-scale patterns when viewed from a distance.
The ceramic surfaces are also UV-resistant
The motifs were printed to the exact pixel modules required onto Fiandre’s large-format, exterior-grade, UV-resistant porcelain rain screen slabs.
“The facade is believed to be the first use of this technology to optically engage the viewer in a series of visual scales nested inside each other, from the scale of an entire architectural facade to the scale of individual pixels each rendered in high-resolution at the threshold of visual perception,” said Fiandre.
In addition to the memorial facade, Fiandre supplied the full range of porcelain interior and exterior floor, wall and soffit finishes used throughout the Saint Sarkis Campus.
The Armenian church in Texas is designed by New York-based architect David Hotson
New York-based Hotson’s design for the new church building is modelled on the ancient church of Saint Hripsime, which stands near Armenia’s modern capital of Yerevan.
Having withstood fourteen centuries of upheaval, Saint Hripsime serves as a symbol of the endurance, perseverance, and resilience of the Armenian people. The cornerstone of Saint Sarkis was laid in 2018, fourteen centuries after Saint Hripsime was completed in 618 AD.
“From this brief, Hotson developed a design that looks forward as well as backward, marrying ancient architectural and artistic traditions reflecting Armenia’s cultural legacy as the world’s first Christian nation with contemporary digitally-driven design and fabrication technologies,” explained the manufacturer.
To learn more about Fiandre Architectural Surfaces, visit the brand’s website.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Fiandre as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
Spotted: Cleantech company Perovskia Solar combines inkjet printing with customised design to build solar cells that fit almost any product. Designed for seamless integration into existing devices, the Perovskia solar cells work exceptionally well even in low lighting conditions.
Perovskia is a calcium titanite mineral that, when applied in a thin film as a semiconductor, is an incredibly efficient method for converting solar energy to power. Using green nanoparticle inks, the Perovskia solar cells are digitally printed in a variety of sizes and shapes to fit almost all smart devices, including wearables, sensors, and IoT devices.
With the speed of its manufacturing and flexibility in design and application of the cells, Perovskia’s photovoltaics could make solar power more accessible to a range of organisations. As well as being more cost-effective than current photovoltaics, the company’s production process is much healthier for the environment, producing far fewer emissions.
Another service the company provides is bespoke design to help businesses create solar cells that fit their projects, technically and visually. Continued development of the technology focuses on commercial availability and improvements in efficiencies at all stages of production and use.
Solar-powered devices spotted by Springwise include solar-powered, wind-blown sensors, a solar-powered lamp that mimics sunrise and sunset, and solar-powered work pods.
Our latest lookbook takes a look at interiors that have been filled with printed wallpaper to create playful, colourful spaces and bring a sense of joy to the rooms they’re in.
Patterned, printed wallpapers are an easy way to revive tired rooms and create interesting designs for everything from guest bathrooms to main bedrooms.
Here, we have gathered inspiration from ten projects, including an architect-designed hotel interior and a Milanese apartment where the patterned wallpaper creates a decorative clash with printed curtains.
This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous articles in the series feature plant-filled interiors, lush rooftop gardens and spaces for outdoor dining.
Hotel Les Deux Gares, France, by Luke Edward Hall
British designer Luke Edward Hall went all in when it came to the interior design of this French hotel, mixing pea-green walls, leopard-print furnishings and candy-striped beds for a vibrant, colour-clashing design.
While it has an intricate pattern of branches, flowers and people, the colours of the printed wallpaper are more subdued, with its pale blue tone creating a calm counterpoint to the bright green panelling.
Find out more about Hotel Les Deux Gares ›
Teorema Milanese, Italy, by Marcante-Testa
There’s a retro feel to the bedroom of this renovated Milanese apartment where design studio Marcante-Testa juxtaposed a variety of materials and colours. In the bedroom, a wallpaper with a geometric pattern sits next to sheer, polka dot curtains.
An orange night table from Meridiani adds a splash of colour, as does a blue border on the floor around the decorative herring-bone patterned floorboards.
Find out more about Teorema Milanese ›
Austin Proper Hotel and Residences, US, by Kelly Wearstler
A hotel in Downtown Austin, Texas, was given an interior design that revolves around local art and textiles. Designer Kelly Wearstler covered the walls throughout the hotel in eye-catching printed wallpapers, including a botanical wallpaper that was used in one of the restaurants.
Mid-century modern-style chairs and a delicate geometric lighting fixture complement the abundant floral patterns on the wall.
Find out more about Austin Proper ›
Cats’ Pink House, Taiwan, by KC Design Studio
A terrazzo-patterned wallpaper makes this guest bathroom in a Taiwanese holiday home feel both luxurious and playful at the same time.
The recessed sink has been painted in a pale pink hue that matches the terrazzo flecks of the wallpaper and picks up the pink colours of the rest of the flat.
Find out more about Cats’ Pink House ›
Chloe Hotel, US, by Sara Ruffin Costello
The Chloe Hotel in New Orleans’ picturesque Uptown neighbourhood has moody, dark colours in many of its rooms.
In the hotel’s restaurant, designer Sara Ruffin Costello eschewed the plain paint used elsewhere in favour of a dramatic blue wall with a pattern of Egret birds amongst tree branches.
Find out more about Chloe Hotel ›
Mrs and Mr Bateman, UK, by Selena Beaudry, Clemmie Myers and Natalie Tredgett
Printed wallpaper was used for both the walls and display plinths in this West London pop-up shop, informed by an eccentric fictional family.
The pattern has a vintage feel that is enhanced by the swirly psychedelic sculptures on the plinth and by London-based artist Margit Wittig’s Bateman 21st Century chandelier, which features colourful resin pieces.
Find out more about Mrs and Mr Bateman ›
Post House Inn, US, by Basic Projects
Floral-print wallpaper decorates the living area of this hotel room at boutique hotel Post House Inn in South Carolina. A rhomboid-patterned carpet and pillows decorated with a floral print create a playful mish-mash of patterns.
A comfortable lounge chair in a warm red velvet lends colour to the room and matches the red bedframe, while a wooden coffee table adds to the laidback vibe.
Find out more about Post House Inn ›
Apartment Filippo, UK, by Alexander Fehre
There’s an op art feel to the dining area in this small London flat, which Alexander Fehre renovated to make it feel more spacious. The black-and-white printed wallpaper contrasts against the tomato red sofas and table to create an intimate seating area in the white kitchen.
A copper kitchen lamp and oversized cabinet handles add to the almost childlike charm of this kitchen nook.
Find out more about Apartment Filippo ›
Lamorna, UK, by Charlie Luxton Design
When designer Charlie Luxton refurbished this bungalow in the Cotswalds, he decorated the children’s bedrooms with a jungle theme.
A tiger wallpaper extends out into the corridor and was chosen to “bring some life and fun and sunshine into that area of the house”. It matches an art print featuring a tiger in one of the rooms and creates a bright, fun hallway.
Find out more about Lamorna ›
Arcade by Calico Wallpaper and Workstead
Brooklyn studios Workstead and Calico Wallpaper teamed up to create this installation inside New York’s Arcade Bakery, which was also designed by Workstead. The abstract Relic wallpaper was used to decorate the bakery’s cosy alcoves and features a mixture of sheer tissue paper and metallic and matte elements.
Contrasted against the bakery’s marble floors and wooden panelling, the wallpaper adds a sunny splash of colour that is still in keeping with the historic 1929 building.
Find out more about Arcade ›
This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing peaceful bedrooms, calm living rooms and colourful kitchens.
