Construction start for NEST unit ’dfab

On May 2, at the ground-breaking ceremony for the NEST unit 'dfab house', the project team, consisting of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) 'Digital Fabrication', ETH Zurich and numerous partners from industry, celebrated the construction start together with Empa, the owner of NEST. 'dfab house' is a unique project, which not only has been digitally designed and planned; it will also be built using digital fabrication methods and with the use of robots and large-scale 3D printers. A sudden flash of light, a gentle fizzling - followed by applause for the robotic protagonist: on May 2, the construction robot 'In situ Fabricator' created the first weld for the next NEST unit, - dfab house '. In the upcoming weeks, the robot will start the construction of a load-bearing, formwork-free concrete wall using the novel and award-winning building technology - Mesh Mould '. Initiated by the NCCR 'Digital Fabrication' and ETH Zurich, the 'dfab house' demonstrates innovative methods for both bespoke digital prefabrication and digitally supported construction executed directly on the building site. After its completion, the three-story building will serve as an innovative living and working space for visiting researchers of Empa and other NEST partners. During the ground-breaking ceremony, Peter Richner, Deputy Director of Empa and initiator of NEST, was clearly impressed with the variety of new innovations being implemented in this unit and being showcased in NEST.