Outdoor Furniture, 3D-Printed
Designer Philipp Aduatz brings us closer to a 3D-printed future with his new outdoor furniture collection.
Vienna-based designer Philipp Aduatz has created outdoor furniture made from concrete using 3D-printing technology. Commissioned by interior designer Kara Mann for a private client in Chicago, the project includes two large sofas, two chairs, and 7.3-meter-long bench. To carry out the project, Aduatz cooperated with the Austrian start-up incremental3d that produced his “Digital Chaiselongue” for the Milan Design Week in 2018.
The project was not an easy task, and one of the biggest challenges Aduatz faced was developing a suitable reinforcement technology to improve the load capacity of the outdoor furniture. Concrete, by its nature, is a material that has very little tensile strength, which means that it often requires reinforcement. In this case, Aduatz developed a customised semi-automatic strategy using a combination of glass-fibre rods and carbon textile materials. The required payloads were calculated and tested, and his innovation proved to be successful with its high performance.
Aduatz’ project offers an exciting glimpse into the future of 3D-printing technology. While appropriate production facilities and expertise are needed for 3D-printing, a future in which the technology is part of everyday use by the public seems closer than ever before as the cost of 3D-printing decreases. In this future, there exists the possibility of creating new kinds of public spaces that are tailored specifically to the community’s wishes, needs, and character.
