Massilimiano Locatelli to 3D-print house in a Milanese piazza

Italian architect Massimiliano Locatelli of CLS Architetti has been working with Italcementi Heidelberg Cement Group, Arup and Cybe on a new project for Milan Design Week; a 3D-printed house, which will be built on site at Piazza Cesare Beccaria during the course of the fair. Creativity, sustainability, flexibility, affordability and rapidity are key areas to consider when 3D printing, says the architect. We met with Locatelli to find out more about his plans.
W*: Why 3D print a house?
ML: Because a 3D-printed house is the future and I’d like to print it in the present for Milan Design Week 2018; combining architecture with freedom and technology.
W*: What was your vision when designing this house?
ML: My vision was to integrate new, more organic shapes in the surrounding landscapes or urban architecture. My intention was to do the first house for a square in the centre of Milan. I wanted to show a different way of using a printing machine and explore how a concrete house could create a dialogue with our memories of interior design, made of references to archetypes of the past.
W*: What challenges and what opportunities does 3D printing present for the architect?
ML: The challenges are the project’s five key values: creativity, sustainability, flexibility, affordability and rapidity. The opportunity is to be a protagonist of a new revolution in architecture.
W*: Did you have to think differently when designing a house this way?
ML: Designing in this way assumes a new relationship with the client. A new way to solve human, social, natural disasters or economic problems.
W*: How long does it take to actually build the house?
ML: We are building 100sq m within one week
W*: Where do you envisage this house being built in the future?
ML: Everywhere and anywhere, even on the moon
The structure will be built live on a Milanese piazza during Milano Design Week 2018
The piece will be a collaboration between CLS Architetti, Italcementi Heidelberg Cement Group, Arup and Cyb
The piece was concieved based on five key principles: creativity, sustainability, flexibility, affordability and rapidity
The 100 sq m house will be built over the course of a week
INFORMATION
For more infomation CLS Architetti’s website
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture Editor at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018) and Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020).
-
Bee my love: Chaumet draws honeycombs in fluid gold and diamonds
Chaumet’s new additions to the ‘Bee My Love’ jewellery collection nod to the jewellery maison’s heritage
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Discover the newest jewel on the Amalfi Coast
The Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel draws from traditional design codes
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
A Trellick tower apartment’s contemporary makeover
A Trellick tower apartment gets a contemporary makeover by architecture studio Buchholzberlin and art consultant Peter Heimer
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
V&A's Tropical Modernism: a vivid look at architecture culture in newly independent Ghana
Subtitled ‘Architecture and Power in West Africa’, V&A's 'Tropical Modernism' is a richly historical show at the 2023 Venice Biennale, perfectly aligned with the overarching theme of inclusion and exploration of modernism’s overlooked cultural impact
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Venice Architecture Biennale 2023: the ultimate guide
As the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023 opens, we explore the offerings at the world’s famous celebration of building design
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
-
Villaggio Eni: a modernist gem in the Italian Dolomites
Designed by Eduardo Gellner in the 1950s, the Villaggio Eni holiday resort, in the Italian Dolomites, is being repurposed as a modernist refuge for artists and creatives
By Emma O'Kelly • Published
-
Extraordinary escapes: where would you like to be?
Peruse and lose yourself in these extraordinary escapes; there's nothing better to get the creative juices flowing than a healthy dose of daydreaming
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Adler Spa Resort Sicily blends sustainability and relaxation
Adler Spa Resort Sicily by architect Hugo Demetz opens in southern Italy, championing sustainability and relaxation
By Ifeoluwa Adedeji • Published
-
The Fendi factory in Tuscany disappears into the landscape
The new Fendi Factory in Italy, set in the rolling hills of Tuscany, is the brainchild of Milan architecture studio Piuarch and the luxury brand
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Year in review: top 10 houses of 2022, selected by Wallpaper* architecture editor Ellie Stathaki
Wallpaper’s Ellie Stathaki reveals her top 10 houses of 2022 – from modernist reinventions to urban extensions and idyllic retreats
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Step inside the dramatic Cava Arcari by David Chipperfield
Cava Arcari by David Chipperfield reimagines a series of caves outside Vicenza as a multifunctional event space
By Ellie Stathaki • Published