In collaboration with the Origen Festival in Riom, Switzerland, the installation Concrete Choreography consists of nine, individually designed, 2.7m tall columns - each concrete 3D printed to full height in 2.5 hours with an innovative process developed at ETH Zurich. In a 10 week project, students of the Master of Advanced Studies in Digital Fabrication and Architecture explored the unique possibilities of layered extrusion printing, demonstrating the potential of computational design and digital fabrication for future construction.

This novel fabrication method allows the automated production of one-of-a-kind concrete elements without the need for any formwork. Hollow concrete structures are printed in a strategic manner in which material is placed only where needed, paving a way towards a more sustainable approach to concrete architecture. Computationally designed material ornament and tactile surface textures uniquely possible with the technique exemplify the versatility and significant aesthetic potential of 3D concrete printing when used in large-scale structures.

The project not only proves transformative from an ecological and economical perspective but also reveals how the boundaries between conceiving and making become more permeable due to digital design and fabrication processes. Technological advancements can foster resource-efficient design but also bring new architectural expression to an age-old material such as concrete.