Beyond Transparency: Robotically Enhanced Glass Architecture

The Beyond Transparency glass pavilion explores how Additive Manufacturing (AM), computational design and digital fabrication innovation can enhance industry float glass. A novel robotic process developed at the chair of Digital Building Technologies enables the fabrication of a polychromatic mono material with varying colors and textures in glass. Polychromatic glass elements can construct sublime architectural experiences through light refraction, reflection, color, opacity - beyond mere transparency. The pavilion consists of 18, individually designed glass elements of 2x1m size. Each panel is robotically printed within 1 hour with the process developed at ETH Zürich. The students of the Master in Advanced Studies in Architecture and Digital Fabrication 2020-2021 explore the unique potential of this technology in a full-scale installation.
Project Credits:
MAS DFAB in Architecture and Digital Fabrication I ETH Zürich
Teaching Team Digital Building Technologies
Rena Giesecke (Project lead), Ioanna Mitroupoulou, Rémy Clemente, Eleni Skevaki, Yael Ifrah (MAS ETH DFAB coordination)
Design by students of the Master in Advanced Studies in Architecture and Digital Fabrication 2020-2021 Evgenia Angelaki, Liya Sunny Anthraper, Pascal Bach, Yen Fen Chan, Wei-Ting Chen, Ilaria Giacomini, Simon Griffioen, Guillaume Jami, Lena Kitani, Artemis Maneka, Beril Önalan, Priyank Soni, Foteini Salveridou, Ko Tsuruta, Chengyuan Wei, Carlos Wilkening
Support structural design
Dr. Ole Ohlbrock, Federico Bertagna, Dr. Vlad Alexandru-Silvestru
Supporting technicians ETH Zurich
Tobias Hartmann, Alessandro Tellini, Christian Egli, Fabio Meier, Christian Peterhans, Benedikt Kowalewski
Fabrication Consulting
Matteo Gonet Glass Basel
Sponsoring and Support
Saint Gobain
AF Fercher AG
Swiss Re Institute
Exhibition
The pavilion was exhibited at the Swiss Re Institute in Rüschlikon from September to the end of October 2021