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PRODUCT NEWS
Cement structure shows architectural potential of 3D printing
11 Mar 2015 . BY Jason Holland
Professor Ronald Rael led the Bloom project / Tom Levy
The first and largest powder-based 3D-printed cement structure has been built at a US university.
Created to demonstrate the architectural potential of 3D printing, the freestanding pavilion – Bloom – is composed of 840 customised blocks, measures roughly 12ft by 12ft, and is 9ft high.
The University of California, Berkeley research team was led by Ronald Rael, associate professor of architecture, who developed a new type of iron oxide-free Portland cement polymer formulation which enabled the 3D printing.
“We are mixing polymers with cement and fibers to produce very strong, lightweight, high-resolution parts on readily available equipment; it’s a very precise, yet frugal technique,” said Rael. “This project is the genesis of a realistic, marketable process with the potential to transform the way we think about building a structure.”
Bloom was unveiled on 6 March and closed the fifth annual Berkeley Circus, an event which celebrates the research and accomplishments of the university’s College of Environmental Design community.
It will now be disassembled and shipped to Siam Research and Innovation in Thailand. The company, a research and development division of Siam Cement Group, provided funding and collaborative support for the project, and will put the structure on display for several months, after which it will travel to various locations around the world.
Siam Cement Group provided the Portland cement, while additional support and materials were provided by Emerging Objects, a startup company co-founded by Rael and Virginia San Fratello, and Entropy Resins.
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handpicking Covent Garden's Seven Dials for its inaugural standalone store.
Freddie Moross, founder of wellness music provider Myndstream, has announced plans to launch
Spiritus – a brand new breathwork series by Grammy Award-winning musician and composer Peter
Kater – onto the company’s music streaming service, The Stream.
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"We summarise what we do in two words – functional art," says Gian Luca Innocenzi, CEO and
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French spa brand Sothys has developed the Sun Range to protect the skin against sun damage.
COMPANY PROFILE
Curry Spa Consulting has been providing clients in the high-end and luxury hospitality sector with spa design, programming, guidance and oversight since 2011.
Curry Spa Consulting has been providing clients in the high-end and luxury hospitality sector with spa design, programming, guidance and oversight since 2011.
With the launch of its 49th John Reed, RSG Group is looking for more opportunities for its high-
end brand in the US and Europe, but is pausing UK expansion.
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marking the first in its pipeline of 13 properties across city, country and coastal destinations.
English countryside hotel and club Estelle Manor has unveiled its new 3,000sq m Roman-
inspired bathhouse and spa following an intricate five-year project.
Following the launch of its Siro wellness hotel brand, in the form of Siro One Za’abeel in Dubai,
Kerzner International has revealed it plans to create a global chain of properties under the
brand.