TECLA - The first eco-sustainable house 3D printed from raw earth

MCA - Mario Cucinella Architects - and WASP - World’s Advanced Saving Project - have completed TECLA - Technology and Clay -, the first eco-sustainable housing model 3D printed entirely from local raw earth. The collaboration between WASP and MC A has been supported by Mapei which has studied the clay materials and identified the key components within the raw earth mixture to create the final highly optimised printable product. Structural tests were carried out by Milan Ingegneria , a Milan-based engineering consultancy, which worked on the optimisation of the shape in order to create a self-supporting structure. The frames, customised and highly-efficient, have been engineered and produced by Capoferri. RiceHouse provided technical consultancy about bio-materials deriving from rice cultivation waste - rice husk and rice straw, which affected the thermal performance and living comfort of the building envelope.