Silica – a circular material paradigm by 3D-printing and recycled glass

Silica examines the making of 3D printed tiles from recycled container glass. This paper describes an interdisciplinary exploration into how robot-controlled extrusion can offer new material practices by which to fabricate glass elements of an architectural scale.

We pursue working with recycled container glass powder -a waste product derived from the reprocessing of recycled container glass – to contribute to circular development within an interdisciplinary artistic development context in the meeting between architecture and glass design.

The project has two aims. On the one hand, it builds an in-depth understanding of the parameters of fabrication and devising means by which to control these through digital design methods and their interfacing with robotic fabrication processes. On the other hand, it critically questions the architectural, aesthetic and performative properties of these material practices and their embedded methods.

Collaborators
Reilling A/S