This innovation uses 3D printing to cut concrete use

Jan 12, 2022

Researchers at ETH Zurich have used 3D-printed formwork elements made from recyclable mineral foam to create a pre-cast concrete slab. Image: Dezeen

Jennifer Hahn

Author, Dezeen

The Big Picture

Explore and monitor how Infrastructure is affecting economies, industries and global issues

Crowdsource Innovation

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

Infrastructure

The 3D-printed FoamWork elements are arranged inside a timber perimeter mould Image: Dezeen

Ultra high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete is poured around the formwork elements. Image: Dezeen

The formwork can be left in place or removed, recycled and reprinted. Image: Dezeen

Discover

What’s the World Economic Forum doing about climate change?

The FoamWork provides additional insulation through its porosity Image: Dezeen

Have you read?

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.