Studio RAP describes itself as ‘Architects of Bespoke Ceramics’. Since the Rotterdam-based studio was founded in 2016 by Lucas ter Hall and Wessel van Beerendonk, it’s been on the cutting edge of new ways of manufacturing. The studio has an array of in-house 3D clay printers, working on ceramic designs for façades, artworks and ornamentation in collaboration with architects and designers.
Powerwall by Studio RAP
The latest artwork from Studio RAP is Powerwall, which the duo reckon is one of the largest robotically 3D-printed ceramic artworks anywhere in the world. Comprising 322 unique ceramic titles, each 3D printed through a layering process using a robotic clay printer, the artwork began life as an algorithmically generated form.
Detail of the Powerwall installation
Powerwall graces the façade of a high-voltage transformer station, Switchstation Beverwijk. The inspiration behind the forms was patterns of electromagnetic energy – invisible, but dynamic, transforming the windowless utilitarian form of the transformer station, owned by Dutch grid operator TenneT and designed by Powerhouse Company, into a piece of urban artwork.
Detail of the individual tiles
Detail of the individual tiles
Detail of the individual tiles set out in the studio
The 300-plus panels form an installation that’s 8m high and 5m wide, gracing the brick façade of Switchstation Beverwijk. The wave forms that appear ripple across the surface were originally shaped by an algorithm, then output as three-dimensional forms via the 3D clay printer. Each tile is then coated with a translucent turquoise glaze and fired, creating a surface that shimmers and shifts depending on time and day and point of view.
The shape of the forms and density of the glazing creates shifting light across the surface
The ribbed effect on the surface not only accentuates the form, but lays bare the act of clay printing, where ribbons of clay are extruded along a path, stacking up on each to create an organic feel. The addition of the glaze adds a layer of unpredictability, with different thicknesses of the colour pooling in the depths of the folds.
Side profile of the individual tiles, showing the layered build-up of the clay printing process
‘The studio embraces the reality that ceramics shrink and warp during the firing process,’ van Beerendonk and ter Hall explain. ‘The intense heat of the kiln transforms the raw material, meaning the final piece is never an exact sterile replica of the digital model, but rather an organic, highly characterful architectural element.’ Creating the final assembly required that each panel be perfectly engineered with the correct tolerances and stability so that the artwork could be put together in situ.
The artwork laid out in the studio before installation on site
Studio RAP’s work brings the Dutch ceramic tradition into the modern era – a recent project, New Delft Blue, was a pair of gates incorporating reinterpreted traditional porcelain. Other recent work includes Ceramic House in Amsterdam, with its 3D-printed façade.
Powerwall is mounted on the brick façade of Switchstation Beverwijk