Holcim presents 3D Printed Concrete Bridge

Holcim unveils Phoenix, the first 3D-printed concrete bridge made from 10 tons of recycled materials, at its Innovation Hub in Europe.

Using its proprietary ECOCycle technology, Holcim developed a special concrete ink for Phoenix that contains recycled materials. This innovation demonstrates how circular construction combined with 3D concrete printing can enable low carbon footprint applications. By using computer-aided design and 3D printing, material consumption has been reduced by up to 50% without compromising performance. Phoenix’s design and construction is a prime example of circular architecture. The bridge stands on compression alone, without reinforcement, and its building blocks can be easily dismantled and recycled.

Edelio Bermejo, Head of Global R&D, Holcim: “I am thrilled to unveil Phoenix, a monument to sustainability and the result of a fruitful collaboration with our partners to meet a common goal: demonstrating that essential infrastructure can be designed and built in a way that is circular and lowcarbon today. This project showcases the impact that innovation can have in Holcim’s mission to decarbonize building for a net-zero future.”

Philippe Block, Co-Director, Block Research Group at ETH Zurich: “Concrete is an artificial stone, and like stone, it does not want to be a straight beam, it wants to be a masonry arch. Following these historical principles allows us to keep materials separated for easy recycling and to dry-assemble the structure for easy deconstruction and reuse. 3D concrete printing allows us to use material only and exactly where needed. The result is a sustainable and truly circular approach to concrete construction.”

The project was developed in collaboration with the Block Research Group at ETH Zurich, the Zaha Hadid Architects Computation and Design Group and incremental3D. Phoenix is partly created from the recycling of aggregates from the original blocks of Striatus, the first 3D-printed concrete bridge presented at the 2021 Venice Biennale.

Shajay Bhooshan, Head of Computation and Design Group, Zaha Hadid Architects: “Phoenix is a significant milestone in technology readiness. It showcases the maturation of integrated design to construction technologies that were initiated with Striatus. There have been improvements in the robustness of the digital design tools, closer alignment with the numerous structural design and circularity-related improvements, tighter integration with robotic concrete printing parameters and extensive calibration to improve efficiency of production of almost double the number of blocks in less printing time.”

Johannes Megens, Co-Founder, incremental3D: “Thanks to its design principles, Striatus already represented 3D concrete printing in its purest possible form. Now, after two years and in its second iteration, Phoenix adds a largely reduced carbon footprint and permanence according to building codes along with many other further improvements. Consequently we, the incremental3d team, are very excited about Phoenix and we are looking forward to many other projects that will evolve in similar spirit.”

Phoenix is not only a technological innovation, but also a symbol of sustainable and circular construction. It shows how modern technologies such as 3D printing can revolutionize the construction industry while reducing environmental impact. This project could be a model for future sustainable infrastructure solutions.