Professor Giuseppe Fallacara (Polytecnico di Bari) has curated the exhibition of prototypes designed by international students and research groups
In architecture, there are no ancient or modern materials, yet it is the way they are used that makes them correspond to their time. This is the starting point of the experimental project “Marmomac Meets Academies“, curated by Professor Giuseppe Fallacara from the Politecnico di Bari and presented at Marmomac (September 26 – 29, 2023) in Hall 10.
The exhibition serves as a bridge between the academic/training world and the realm of companies, showcasing prototypes created by students from Italian and foreign universities and research centers.
The aim is to display innovative solutions regarding the use of stone in architecture and design.
The exhibition space, in a square shape, is crowned by a large “suspended vault“ made of lithic elements, under which the works “orbit around.“ The suspended elements represent the stars of the firmament (in Greek “stereoma,“ from which the name “stereotomy“ is derived) and are made of coral limestone from Castel del Monte in Apulia in Southern Italy. The material has been reconstructed using an innovative formula resulting from specific research on the topic of recomposed stone from scraps.
Each work in the exhibition addresses a special topic ranging from the use of thin to recomposed stone, from 3D printed stone to structurally optimized stone – all research aimed at a conscious use of this precious lithic material.
Stereotomic Tripod. Design: Ilaria Cavaliere, Alessandro Angione, Dario Costantino; Collabarator: Francesco Brunetti; University: Polytechnic of Bari. The Stereotomic Tripod is a triangular vault composed of hollow 3D printed elements, shaped to create different patterns. The edges are characterized by quadrangular ashlars, while the corners are filled with a triangular pattern. The entire system has been conceived to be assembled without the use of centrings, by reciprocally fixing the blocks using screws. Even if it has been realized in PLA, the vault has been designed using the rules of stereotomy, which is a discipline historically linked to stone. Moreover, the three pentagonal ashlars in correspondence of abutments are covered with Apricena stone slabs on the extrados, in order to show the possibility to create innovative coffers.
Beneath the suspended vault, at the center of the exhibition space, stands the Stereotomic Tripod, a prototype of a triangular vault constructed using various techniques (3D printing, subtractive manufacturing, interweaving of glass and carbon fibers). Around this centerpiece, other artifacts are distributed, showcasing the possibilities offered by innovative stone processing processes.
Universities, in close collaboration with companies from the stone and transformation sector, have been invited to engage in a synergistic dialogue and jointly present the outcome of experimental research in a series of lectures during Marmomac.
We show renderings of some of the architectural and product design works.
Marmomac 2023 program: exhibitions, events and lectures
Stone and structure – Innovative construction with load-bearing natural stone. Design: Anne Hangebruch, with students BA / MA; University: TU Dortmund University; Collaborators: Anne Hangebruch, Christian Hartz; Affiliated companies: Bamberger Natursteinwerk Hermann Graser GmbH. The Pavilion of Stone investigates the potential of natural stone as a static and not merely cladding element. In close cooperation with the Bamberger Natursteinwerk, professors and students are looking for experimental, innovative solutions that use stone as a structural material. The aim is to sound out the balance between constructive necessities, structural framework conditions and the appearance as a large architectural context. Material-specific construction and expression methods for natural stone are being researched and developed.
TechnoVauld. Design: Dustin White; University: Florida Atlantic University (FAU) School of Architecture; Affiliated companies: Concr3de 3D Printing, PI.MAR S.r.l. TechnoVauld is a portmanteau of techno and vault, a fusion of technology and architectural form. The project aims to showcase the integration of additive manufacturing technology in ashlar construction through a novel 3D printed stone fabrication process. TechnoVauld represents a creative and imaginative design process that evokes a sense of modernity and innovation in the architectural and construction realms, while also addressing the critical need to honor the precious nature of stone as a finite resource.
Da Vinci’s Bridge. Design: Giuseppe Fallacara, Nicola Parisi, Ilaria Cavaliere, Angelo Vito Graziano; University: Polytechnic of Bari; Affiliated companies: FabLab Poliba, WASP, B&Y S.r.l. The Da Vinci’s Bridge is a modern reinterpretation of the bridge designed by the Italian genius in 1502. The proposed model is composed of nine stereotomic ashlars, conceived to be realized through additive manufacturing. 3D printing is widely spreading in the construction field and some prototypes of 3D printed bridges have already been realized using concrete. The purpose of this project is to test a new stone powder-based mixture (using waste materials from Apulian quarries), in order to propose a sustainable approach to lithic construction.
Butterfly wing. Design: Nicola Parisi, Francesco Fieni; University: Polytechnic of Bari; Affiliated companies: Manzi Marmi S.r.l., Robologica S.r.l. Designed to challenge the production limits of numerically controlled manufacturing techniques, this experimental prototype has been made using specific subtractive digital manufacturing processes that approximate the result achievable using hybrid prototyping techniques by superimposing sections obtained by a robotic machining process known as double-sided fabrication. The geometries of the artefact are designed using a procedural algorithm with the aim of demonstrating the structural performance of the minimum surfaces known as gyroids, which can guarantee a significant reduction in the weight of the structure without compromising its mechanical performance.
Osteomorphic helicoidal staircase. Design: Giuseppe Fallacara; Collaborators: Francesco Tarricone, Francesco Brunetti; University: Polytechnic of Bari; Affiliated companies: FabLab Poliba, Stilmarmo S.r.l., Tarricone Prefabbricati, CNC Design, Mapei S.p.A. The prototype is the latest in a series of experiments carried out on the theme of the helicoidal staircase made up of modular load-bearing elements. It is the evolution of studies on stereotomic staicases present on French treatises since the Renaissance period. In particular, the Osteomorphic helicoidal staircase is a helicoidal staircase with a load-bearing ramp and supported treads, made up of prefabricated modular elements of reinforced concrete and treads in fibre-reinforced Apricena stone. The morphology of the load-bearing ramp of the staircase is inspired by the vertebral column, whereby each vertebra is perforated at the center for the passage of reinforced concrete, which represents the bone marrow of the structure.
Petralumina – Floor. Design: Stefano Chiocchini; University: IID – Istituto Italiano Design; Affiliated companies: PI.MAR S.r.l. Petralumina is a modular flooring and cladding system made of natural stone with inserted photoluminescent decorative motifs. The product line consists of two-dimensional and three-dimensional modular elements made with numerical control machines and the insertion of a mix of natural resins and photoluminescent powders which guarantee the re-emission of absorbed photons (from natural or artificial light), generating safety light in the absence or in minimal lighting conditions.
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(22.09.2023, USA: 09.22.2023)
