self-sufficient 3D printed farm inspired by mandala geometry finishes building wall in italy

"WASP completes constructing the wall of the self-sufficient 3D printed farm Itaca in the Shamballa open-air laboratory in the hills of Northern Italy. Inspired by the geometry of a Mandala, the printed construction uses four robotic arms positioned at the vertices of a hexagonal structure. Itaca's layout consists of a square inscribed within a circle, and the design includes four main walls at the corners of the square, creating a central opening on each side."

"The team adds that the walls are printed using a lime-based mixture without any concrete to lower the carbon emissions produced and that the material allows the facades to regulate their temperature on their own. Inside the walls are a series of reinforcement columns that can weather through earthquakes and support the load of the roof. These infills are packed with rice husks sourced from waste produced by the agricultural-food supply chain as well as natural lime power."

"Around Itaca, there are two rainwater harvesting basins for water recovery and to control soil erosion and support agricultural activities. As part of WASP's reforestation and agroforestry initiative aimed at restoring biodiversity, over 500 trees and 50,000 aromatic medicinal plants will be planted in the surrounding area, and there's already an AI-powered automatic garden currently in development to be integrated into the Shamballa space."

Itaca is a self-sufficient 3D-printed farm constructed with four robotic arms arranged on a hexagonal frame and a mandala-inspired square-in-circle layout. Walls are printed from a lime-based mixture without concrete to reduce carbon emissions and enable thermal regulation. Reinforcement columns within the walls contain rice-husk and natural lime infill for seismic resistance and structural support. The project includes a green roof, solar panels, rainwater harvesting basins, vertical hydroponics, an AI-powered automatic garden, and plans to plant over 500 trees and 50,000 medicinal plants for agroforestry.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine