Re-Print

Re-Print explores how discarded ceramics can be transformed into growth-friendly architectural facade systems through 3D clay printing. While ceramic waste is abundant, its reuse remains limited due to the variability of materials that become mixed within waste streams. Rather than treating this variability as a problem, the project investigates whether it can become a design opportunity.

Most discarded ceramics end up at recycling stations or landfills, where roof tiles, bricks, sanitary ware, tableware, and glazed ceramics are collected together without separation. The sheer variety of materials makes conventional reuse difficult. As a result, more than 95% of ceramic waste is downcycled into road-fill aggregate, one of the lowest forms of recycling.

This project investigates whether the same variability that prevents traditional reuse can instead become an architectural asset. By intentionally combining different ceramic waste streams, including roof tiles and glass, the research explores how recycled materials can contribute to texture and surface roughness.

A major challenge in the project was exploring how the addition of recycled ceramics affect the printability of the mix. Including the recipe, particle size, water content, and binders. The work shows that at around 50% recycled contents, the mixture becomes more demanding to extrude for the average 3d clay printing system to manage. But the results suggest that larger, industrial extrusion systems should be able to support recipes with around 70-80% recycled contents.
 

The most promising results emerged during firing. By incorporating coarse tennis gravel, crushed ceramics, and glass particles, the fired pieces developed significantly rougher and more varied surfaces than conventional clay prints. These textures increase surface complexity and create conditions that may support bioreceptivity. The recycled mixture also demonstrated improved dimensional stability during drying and firing. This raises the possibility of reducing the process from a conventional double firing to a single high firing, significantly reducing the energy required.
 

The project explores bioreceptive architecture: surfaces intentionally designed to support living organisms. Moss was selected as a promising species for the Copenhagen climate and the material experiments were complemented by investigations into bioreceptive glazes composed of locally sourced waste materials. 
 

The final design translates these material investigations into a modular facade system composed of interlocking 3D-printed ceramic blocks. Inspired by traditional breeze blocks and woven textiles, the modules combine daylight control, self-shading, and ecological surface area within a single architectural element. Applied as a facade screen, the system could reduce solar gain during summer while admitting useful daylight during winter. 
 

Re-print proposes a shift from downcycling ceramic waste toward designing with its variability, transforming discarded materials into architectural systems that filter light, support life, and remain reusable across multiple lifecycles.