3D printing reshapes Czech architecture, from a new church to a mountain cable-car station
A new church is taking shape in the central Bohemian town of Neratovice, built with 3D printing technology. Much of the structure will be assembled from concrete pieces that click together like parts of a puzzle.
The Church of the Holy Trinity was designed by award winning architect Zdeněk Fránek. It is not his first sacral project since he previously designed two prayer halls in Litomyšl and in Černošice near Prague. This time he has decided to rely on the advantages offered by 3D printing technology.
Architect Michal Mačuda, who is adapting the design for 3D printing, explains that at first the team planned to print only the tower. Eventually they chose to produce the interior vault with the same method.
The prefabricated elements include decorative waves that also function as acoustic features. The components are now being tested by technicians in Žďár nad Sázavou.
“Inside the elements there is a hollow cavity with no structural function Mačuda says. When we printed the prototype, we inserted small steel tubes. Sound travels through those tubes into the cavity filled with dense wool. The movement in the wool absorbs the energy, reducing echo inside the church.”
Neratovice is a city of more than twenty thousand residents and it has never had a church. Parish administrator Petr Kováč says that local people have always hoped to build one.
“The communist government said it would be the first city without a church. But throughout all these decades, there has always been an effort to build one.”
In December the construction team will begin test assembling the vault, which will eventually consist of 520 pieces. According to Mr. Mačuda the result will be the largest 3D printed church in the world. The project is expected to cost CZK 204 million. Almost 70 million has already been raised through donations.
As 3D printing technology continues to advance, it is gradually gaining ground in Czech architecture. In the Jeseníky Mountains, the Kopřivná ski resort is finishing a new upper cable car station that is also largely 3D printed.
Its working name is Enterprise because the curved form resembles a Star Trek spaceship. Resort manager Jan Ležatka says the choice of technology was driven by practical necessity.
“On the lower floor you will see grooves and embossed details in the walls that create the overall impression. No other technology besides 3D printing can achieve that.”
Inside the station there is a bar which is also made from printed concrete, but the most striking feature of the structure is a large panoramic window that allows views in three directions.
Once completed, the station will be the first publicly accessible 3D printed building in Czechia and one of the largest examples of this technique in Europe.
