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Striatus wins ‘Architizer +A Award’ and ‘GOOD Green Design Award’

Striatus, an arched 3D-printed concrete masonry bridge, has been selected Jury winner of an ‘Architizer A+ Award’ on the ‘Architecture + Concrete’ category. Now in their 10th year, the A+ Awards celebrate the world’s best architecture.

Striatus was also named winner of the ‘Green Design Awards’ organised by the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. The awards recognise individuals, companies, organizations, governments, and institutions that demonstrate exceptional thinking and inspire progress towards a healthier and more sustainable built environment.

Striatus is an arched masonry footbridge composed of 3D-printed concrete blocks assembled without mortar or reinforcement. The 16 x 12 metre footbridge is the first of its kind, combining traditional techniques of master builders with advanced computational design, engineering and robotic manufacturing technologies.

Striatus has been developed by the Block Research Group (BRG) at ETH Zurich and Zaha Hadid Architects Computation & Design Research Group (ZHA CODE), in collaboration with Incremental 3D (in3D) and made possible by Holcim

Proposing a new language for concrete that is structurally informed, fabrication aware, ecologically responsible and precisely placed to build more with less, Striatus optimises the properties of masonry structures, 3D concrete printing (3DCP) and contemporary design; presenting an alternative to traditional concrete construction.

The name “Striatus” reflects its structural logic and fabrication process. Concrete is precisely printed in layers orthogonal to the main structural forces to create a “striated” compression-only structure that requires no mortar or reinforcement.

Using a special concrete ink developed by Holcim, this method of 3D concrete printing combines the principles of traditional vaulted construction with digital concrete fabrication to use material only where it is structurally necessary and eliminate waste.

As the construction does not need mortar, the blocks can be dismantled, and the bridge reassembled at different location. If the construction is no longer needed, the materials can simply be separated and recycled.

Striatus Bridge was presented at the ‘Time Space Existence’ exhibition by the European Cultural Centre Italy during the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale.

Architizer + Award winners

Photograph by Naaro