Dassault Systèmes and XtreeE: 3D printing Pavilion

XtreeE and its partner Dassault Systèmes are unveiling the 3D pavilion, a first in Europe. The structure’s organic design is in the form of a coffee bean, with walls that echo shapes found in forests. Generative design exploration lets designers and architects create such biomimetic forms. Architects and engineers used the 3DExperience cloud system of Dassault Systèmes in order to work collaboratively to this project. XtreeE used experimental cement developed by LafargeHolcim R&D for the structure and ABB’s “IRB8700” industrial robot for its large-scale construction. The concept of using additive construction to manufacture building components may be the next step in the evolution toward prefabrication. Additive construction takes those benefits a step further. It allows fabricators to produce highly complex one-off shapes at a controlled cost. By using parametric design to create an optimized component, less material is needed, leading to lighter products and less waste.

XtreeE digitally optimized and automated the construction of its pavilion’s components from the initial design phase and later assembled them at the construction site. This minimized the materials used and eliminated the need to transport excess materials to and from the site, reducing construction costs and improving structural performance. Its architects were free from the constraints of linear concrete forms used in construction thanks to digital design data that, when programmed into the industrial robot, layered materials with variable angles or thicknesses and created shapes that are not possible with traditional concrete. Additive manufacturing allowed continuous manufacturing processes for the walls and roof.
The pavilion was unveiled on September 20, 2016 at Dassault Systèmes’ headquarters in France in the presence of professionals from the construction industry.