Innovation Lab
The workplace specializes in researching modern construction methods with regard to material savings, automation and faster construction. The operation builds on the Klokner Institute’s long-term experience with advanced materials and constructions. 3D printing technology research explores both theoretical and practical validation of printing methods and architectural possibilities. We collaborate with other research teams and commercial partners.
Activities of the Innovation Lab
The laboratory investigates new procedures in the field of construction and the possibilities of their implementation in practice. Above all, it is 3D printing of cement composites, which brings advantages in reducing material consumption, increasing automation, speeding up construction and freedom of shape.
We build on the long-term experience of the Klokner Institute in the field of designing and implementing atypical structures and research and development of advanced building materials such as UHPFRC.
Research into the methodology of design, assessment and testing is underway in collaboration with departments across the entire institute. The vast majority of theoretical research and numerical analyzes are verified by printing real elements, on which the expected parameters are subsequently verified experimentally, so that the result is reliable constructions that are safe for use.
As part of research projects, a complex 2k printing system was developed, the essential parts of which are both the recipe of the printing mixture itself and the technology of the print head. The beginnings of this system go back to 2018, when the Klokner Institute, in cooperation with the Technical University of Liberec, participated in the project 3D printing in construction and architecture. The system is continuously developed in line with new findings resulting from ongoing research.
Like any production technology, 3D printing also raises questions about the logic of layout, morphology and aesthetics of proposed constructions. The aim of the laboratory is not only the development of printing technology from a technical point of view, but also the investigation of the effects and possibilities of architectural expression of these constructions, as these two areas are closely linked.
We continue to be actively involved in research projects with other teams in the research sphere, but at the same time we can also offer consultancy and project implementation to commercial partners.
