We’re once again excited to update about the expansion of Fixie’s team. We have been joined by Catarina Castro, who is forming part of our growing software development team as a Junior Web Developer.

Catarina trained and worked as an architect but has made the shift to the tech side of the industry, convinced that technology can assist in a better design process. 

After completing a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Lisbon, Catarina moved to London to pursue her career in architecture where she worked in the Residential sector for the next 5 years. 

Catarina's interest in technology and its impact on architecture grew significantly over these years, with a particular focus on improving architects' workflows and communication between architects and stakeholders.

In her last practice, Catarina developed and showcased designs utilising real-time / VR technology, which proved to be a genuinely successful experience for her private residential clients, improving understanding and reducing issues when compared with clients who only view designs in 2D.

She finished Le-Wagon, a six-month full-stack web development bootcamp during the darkest months of the pandemic, where she learned the foundations of web development. This experience gave her the tools and confidence to kick-start her career in web development. She is now joining the Team as a junior web developer, combining her passion for Architecture and technology. 

As she says:

Architecture is changing. There’s no way around it. It's great to see more companies embracing new technologies. However, these technologies need to be made available for everyone, from large, well-established companies to the small, one-man-band kind of practices. And most importantly, I want to be a part of leading the change and contributing to a better future for the architectural industry

Cat, as she kindly lets us anglophones call her, is coincidently an avid cat lover who spends most of her free time spoiling her beloved cats, Laffi and Amba. 

During her Bootcamp, her love for animals led her to develop a dummy website to facilitate pet adoption. With a custom matching system, where anyone interested in adopting can find and meet their perfect pet!

Great to have you onboard Cat! If you are interested in a position with Fixie or know of anybody who would like to work with us please pass on our details careers@fixie3d.com.

Excited to share that Phil Mayne has joined Fixie as a Senior Front End Developer. Phil is based in Devon and is working on Fixie’s 3D printing platform along with our collaborative research project with AMRC.

Coming from a design background, Phil finds his zen in Denmark and in particular in his spiritual home of Copenhagen.

Phil has worked in software engineering for the past 6 years, gaining experience in developing commercial products that offer a range of user-first solutions from digital ticketing to shift management scheduling. 

I’m aLWAYS KEEPING UP TO DATE WITH INDUSTRY PRACTICE SO WE CAN improve products AND bring the best experience to the user.

Phil’s Fine Art background has given him an understanding of the fundamentals of visual communication. His focus on user experience motivates him to design and build intuitive interfaces that let clients take control of their projects - with simple functionality and reliable systems.

He taught CAD to students at a furniture design atelier giving them the ability to take their 2D drawings and turn them into 3D models - essential for producing accurate renderings that can be delivered to specialists for production.

This is not Phil, at least we don’t think it is…but the projections are his work!

When he’s not tweaking code or tinkering with new features for Fixie, Phil fills his time with music, painting landscapes inspired by his Devon home and baking a bagel or two. His creative hobbies have also led him to organise InPrint - a pop-up gallery space highlighting the work of local artists and musicians as well as dabbling in 3D projection mapping to create visuals at music events.

Great to have you onboard Phil. If you are interested in a position with Fixie or know of anybody who would like to work with us please pass on our details careers@fixie3d.com.

Fixie and AMRC awarded £500,000 to help architects take control of immersive content creation

Press Release: Wednesday,  September 29th, 2021

Innovative 3D technology company Fixie and the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) have secured half a million pounds from Innovate UK to create accessible tools for architects to author their own immersive presentations.

London-based Fixie, which is focused on helping architects create engaging and immersive design communications, will work collaboratively with the AMRC to explore the emerging field of WebXR and its related ecosystem. The ultimate aim is to create practical tools for architects that don’t require any additional advanced skills.

The project will also focus on the interaction between physical 3D printed model production and the creation of overlaid augmented reality presentations. Currently, architects need to outsource this costly work, but by utilising the same originating data for the two formats, and putting ownership of the process into the hands of architects, the project will facilitate wider adoption and offer real benefit to the industry. 

The highly competitive SMART grant funding is made available for game-changing and commercially viable innovative and disruptive ideas that can significantly impact the UK economy.

“We started Fixie to give more architects the opportunity to practically benefit from emerging, innovative 3D technologies like 3D printing and augmented reality. Our aim is to continue to develop our platform so that architects don’t need any prior knowledge to author comprehensive and engaging interactive presentations that utilise both digital and physical assets,” said Ronan O’Boyle, one of the founders of Fixie.

Immersive presentations will be authored and delivered through Fixie’s existing online platform that currently allows architects to easily create physical models from their digital 3D designs (Sign up for beta access).

Michelle Greeff, Fixie CEO, said:

“We’re over the moon to have been chosen from a famously competitive field with an extremely low success rate. We’ve put a lot of time and effort into defining where these technologies are going within our sector and hope to be at the forefront of their implementation with the support of this funding and through working collaboratively with the AMRC.”

The co-funded project has allowed Fixie’s team to grow by three full-time staff, bringing software development capabilities in-house for the first time and helping to build a self-sustaining business into the future. 

“This grant award recognises Fixie’s successful work to date innovating  for clients in our sector including with the support of previous funding through Innovate UK’s Sustainable Innovation Fund in 2020.” 

The University of Sheffield AMRC is a network of world-leading research and innovation centres that work with manufacturing companies of all sizes around the globe. The organisation, part of the High-Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult,  transforms industrial and economic performance by making step changes in productivity, increasing competitiveness, developing new products and processes and training new talent and skills.

Head of Digital at the University of Sheffield AMRC, Professor Rab Scott, said: “More and more, we regard the true value in Industry 4.0 technologies as tools to remove or reduce non-value-added activity. The outputs of this project are just that.

“The development of this platform can remove much of the non-value-added manual intervention in the process meaning that the high-value technical skills can be used more effectively elsewhere in a company thus positively impacting on productivity and the bottom line.

“The application of 3D printing in the architectural sector allows a much more coherent understanding of the final outcome of a project, improving communications and managing expectations for all stakeholders.”

Contact:

Ronan O’Boyle, Co-founder

Email: ronan@fixie3d.com

Fixie is excited to share that Stuart Marshall joined us this month from the Royal College of Art where he was Technical Instructor of Additive Manufacturing.

Lee and Michelle have both worked with Stuart in the past and are delighted to have him join Fixie’s Team as a Senior 3D Print Technician. Stuart will be leading the expansion of our Technician team and supporting our immersive R&D projects.

Stuart has been working in the 3D print industry for the last 7 years across a diverse range of areas including architecture, product design and art. He’s worked both on commercial projects and within the educational sector. This experience has seen him get to know a lot of different technologies having the opportunity to print across a multitude of machines. He started his 3D printing journey in ColourJet powder printing (CJP), moving on to Stereolithography (SLA) printing and more recently he had been working with wax printers, Polyjet and FDM. 

(Full article: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/how-was-it-made-3d-scanning-and-printing)

Beyond 3D printing, he’s well-versed in the world of 3D scanning, having used laser and structured light scanners. This led him to be involved in scanning artefacts for the V&A Museum to display in their Cast Courts gallery.

Stuart comes from a product design background, which is where he developed his initial CAD knowledge. His skills have developed across the sector as he’s thrown himself into a wide range of digital processes experimenting with scanning, animation and VR. As he says:

“I’m always looking for new developments in digital modelling and how I can then incorporate these techniques into my professional and personal work.”

Outside of work he’s a keen maker and always has a project on the go. The fact that he’ll try his hand at anything comes through in the multitude of processes he explores from woodwork and whittling to building electronic circuits - anything that expands his knowledge of production. He also enjoys visiting art galleries, a good hike, and his true passion; video games!

Great to have you onboard Stuart. If you are interested in a position with Fixie or know of anybody who would like to work with us please pass on our details careers@fixie3d.com.

Maynooth University Students’ Union Building - Scott Tallon Walker Architects

It might be safe to say that architectural models are less of a mainstay of architects’ offices than they formerly were. These days, you’re more likely to trip over an electric scooter than a design model. 

That might come across as a strange thing to say coming from a model-making business, but when CGIs, animations, immersive experiences are now both possible inhouse (albeit to varying standards) and comparatively more affordable then it was almost inevitable that this would happen in a world that often focuses on efficiency over process. 

It’s also likely safe to say that 3D printing of architectural models has been an area dabbled in by many and for many of those; never dabbled in again. Deterred by poor experiences, poor results and high costs; 3D printing has also been relegated in some departments to  ‘’not quite good enough/not quite there yet”.

Fixie has slowly been working to debunk this myth and the former truth. The end product that navigates these criticisms is a hybrid model: one that is enabled by 3D printing and finished where required or desired, by hand and traditional methods. When combined with the improved working methods, 3D/BIM-3Dprint workflows these models offer consistency, detail, affordable complexity and hopefully a degree of surprise. 

Early concept render of Maynooth University’s Student Union Complex by Scott Tallon Walker Architects.

Of course, you’d probably be more likely to believe us if you saw an example of this for yourself. The following case study focuses on Maynooth’s Student Union Building (MSU) a project by one of Ireland’s largest and most well-established design practices: Scott Tallon Walker Architects. The brief for the model will not seem that unusual to most - an affordable model that demonstrated some of the key finer details of the facade and the shared covered space. 

Imported 3D information, cleaned up and prepared for printing.

An A3 model @1:100 was chosen as a scale and size that was both affordable and could reflect the necessary detail, whilst also being handy to carry to meetings and set in the centre of the board room table. A clean, monochrome white finish was also determined as the best route to ensure that the model focused on space and detail rather than attempting to represent materiality (which could have also added to time and cost). 

The digital model for MSU was supplied initially from Revit (in an FBX format, so the first step is to remove additional detail that wasn’t necessary for 3D printing. Each 3D printing project is started by breaking down the model into manageable elements, working back from the finish desired. It’s important to know what 3D printing is capable of and to push the boundaries to ensure the most efficient use of resources for your client/end-user. 

The focus of the model was the glazed pergola structure that connects the two buildings with a covered external space. 

We knew that the perforated panels would not achieve anywhere close to the desired effect if 3D Printed at this scale (the holes being 0.1mm in diameter). It was therefore decided to have this detail brass etched. 

The pergola, although delicate, was achievable through 3D printing. However, for the glazed canopy, we reverted to traditional methods again - laser cutting and etching clear acrylic to be placed onto the structure of the 3D printed part. By breaking down the model into its constituent parts it allowed all of these elements to be brought together after being 3D printed, post-processed and spray finished.

The result is an affordable model that achieves a high level of detail through the best combination of available methods and most importantly clearly communicates key design intentions.

Model Cost: £1,850 + VAT

Turn Around: 10 working days (including model assessment, file preparation, 3D printing, brass etching, spray finishing). 

To see a version of this model being created in real-time watch our Fixie overview created for the AJ100 awards 2020. 

3D Printed Modular Construction Units for - Corstorphine Wright O'Brien Architects

When architecture and 3D printing are mentioned in the same sentence, the tendency is to be drawn to the widely shared examples of stand-alone, 3D printed houses. In this context, 3D Printing is frequently listed as a potential solution to worldwide housing shortages: its advantages allowing for quick and affordable alternatives to traditional construction methods. No doubt this work is necessary and will eventually assist in combating major housing crises. However, for developed, high-density urban centres 3D printing at this scale is still a long way off being feasible with any real, wide-scale impact.

3D Printing a House

Modular and prefabricated construction is already a viable solution to many of our housing needs and it’s actively being implemented by architects and construction companies. We were therefore excited to be able to use what 3D printing currently does best (prototyping for those who were asking, or ‘model making’ in architect’s language) to help communicate the benefits of modular construction by preparing and printing a selection of Corstorphine Wright + O’Brien’s Modular Apartment Units.

Corstorphine Wright O’Brien is leading by example in the design and implementation of modular building in Ireland. CWO had four different modular units that they wanted to be completed with removable roofs in order to show the internal layouts.  The models would be used in varying combinations during presentations. As material finishes of the units weren’t settled we suggested a simple white sprayed finish on robust, resin printed models. A few challenges emerged from pursuing this option, but the end result led to clean, smooth and detailed parts. 

C+W O’Brien’s scaled 3D Printed Modular Units being used in a presentation. Source

Our resin printing process produces semi-transparent parts. To spray all of these parts and get an even finish requires uninhibited access to all of the model. The furniture in these modular units would have blocked the ability to spray evenly, so unlike other printing processes where you might print everything at once, resin printing often requires some ‘model design’ - thinking on how to split up the model, so that it can be post-processed (support removed) and spray finished before being reassembled. 

A completed build of clear resin printed architectural model parts. The support structure that will be removed can also be seen. The build volume of this machine is 800mm x 800mm x 600mm (RPS NEO 800)

The digital models supplied were of a very high quality (of course!), however, our job at Fixie is to make sure elements survive 3D printing and post-processing, a perfect architectural model (and we’ve seen our fair share of less than perfect files!) is very different to a 3D printable model. This process involves thickening certain features e.g. door and window frames. These kinds of details add to the finished model so there is an element of creative licence to accentuate these beyond their actual size. Model making is after all a representative medium, no matter how much 3D printing allows you to get as close as possible to the real thing. 

Furthermore, we have to make each unit one single shell for 3D printing. Often the model, no matter how well thought through will contain many separate meshes for walls, cupboards, doors etc. It’s our job to merge these seamlessly using our file fixing software. Understanding the client’s design objectives is always a guiding consideration in this process.

The furniture was separated from the rest of the model and ‘booleaned’ from it. This process allows for small location points to be present on the model to accommodate glueing during reassembly.

Windows were removed to be clear voids to allow more aspects into the interior of the model (these could also be glazed in clear acrylic).

The fixed digital models (each part is a single shell)

The most technical issue was how to drain uncured resin from the 3D printed parts - all 3D printed parts are hollowed where possible to reduce the material usage. However, this can mean that uncured material is trapped within the model. A simple way to allow this to drain away is to create small holes which can then be plugged or filled before being sprayed to conceal this manual effort. Normally we would hollow parts/buildings from the underside so that you wouldn’t see it at all in the final model, due to the fact that the pieces would be fixed to a base. Or alternatively, the parts are printed solid because they are of a delicate form or size. 

Roof parts and furniture pieces after printing

With these issues addressed, we 3D printed (Overnight), let the uncured resin drain away, removed any supports, washed the parts in isopropanol to remove any surface coatings of resin, cured in our UV oven to make the pieces stronger, bead blasted the parts to give them a perfect finish for spraying (the next morning), filled the resin drain holes, spray finished the parts and then glued furniture back in place (that afternoon). 

Unit cost for production in this manner (File preparation, 3D printing, spray finishing and assembly):  c.£325/€375 each (+VAT and Delivery). 

These models could also be produced in full colour directly in the printing process using our colour jet printing (gypsum powder) and multijet fusion (nylon powder) technologies. Please get in touch to understand more about these options.

Fixie secured aN Innovate UK grant to deliver automation that makes 3D printing an accessible and affordable tool for all architects.

Press Release: Monday, November 23, 2020.

Fixie, an innovative 3D printing firm, has secured £100,000 in funding from Innovate UK to build an automated online platform that will drastically cut the time it takes for architects to create physical models from their digital 3D designs.

Fixie’s platform simplifies the architectural 3D printing process by eliminating the need for arduous remodelling which can currently take days to convert an architects’ design to a 3D printable version. The company, which focuses on the architectural sector, will be supported by the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) on the project.

“We started Fixie to give more architects the opportunity to benefit from rapid prototyping. Our platform means that you don’t need to have any prior knowledge to prepare your design for 3D printing - opening up the technology to those without the niche skills, time and resources.” Ronan O’Boyle, one of the founders said.

Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £191 million to fund single and collaborative research and development projects as part of the Sustainable Innovation Fund over the next two years. The aim of these competitions is to help all sectors of the UK rebuild after the effects of COVID-19.

The Sustainable Innovation Fund is funding 1,103 projects, 1189 UK businesses and totalling over £130 million in support across the UK.

Michelle Greeff, Fixie CEO said:

“This grant award recognises the potential social and economic impact of Fixie’s platform at a time when architects are rethinking how cities are used and designed. It’s an endorsement of our vision and the commitment to providing architects with tools to make practical and wider use of emerging technologies.”

The University of Sheffield AMRC is a network of world-leading research and innovation centres that work with manufacturing companies of all sizes around the globe. The organisation, part of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult,  transforms industrial and economic performance by making step changes in productivity, increasing competitiveness, developing new products and processes and training new talent and skills.

Head of Digital at the University of Sheffield AMRC, Professor Rab Scott, said: “This is a hugely important project which is at the heart of what the AMRC has built its reputation on: transforming industry through collaborative research.

“Through the application of digital tools, architects will be able to produce digital 3D designs in hours rather than days. The development of this vital platform, increasing speed and cutting costs for the supply chain, will both enhance the sustainability of how businesses deliver for their clients and add value across the construction and built environment sector.”

Innovate UK Executive Chair Dr Ian Campbell said:

“In these difficult times we have seen the best of British business innovation. The pandemic is not just a health emergency but one that impacts society and the economy.”

“Fixie, along with every initiative Innovate UK has supported through this fund, is an important step forward in driving sustainable economic development. Each one is also helping to realise the ambitions of hard-working people.”

About Fixie (www.fixie3d.com)

Fixie – architects’ 3D printing assistant – helps architects communicate their projects through 3D printing.

About AMRC (www.amrc.co.uk)

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) is a world-class centre for research into advanced manufacturing technologies used in the aerospace, automotive, medical and other high-value manufacturing sectors.

The AMRC has a global reputation for helping companies overcome manufacturing problems and is a model for collaborative research involving universities, academics and industry worldwide.

Combining state of the art technologies with the AMRC’s expertise in design and prototyping, machining, casting, welding, additive manufacturing, composites, robotics and automation, digital manufacturing and structural testing, has created a manufacturing resource far beyond anything previously available in the UK.

The AMRC is a member of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult, a consortium of leading manufacturing and process research centres, backed by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.

About Innovate UK (www.innovateuk.ukri.org)

Innovate UK drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas. 

Innovate UK connects businesses to the partners, customers and investors that can help them turn ideas into commercially successful products and services and business growth, funding business and research collaborations to accelerate innovation and drive business investment into R&D. 

Support is available to businesses across all economic sectors, value chains and UK regions. Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation. 

Contact:

Ronan O’Boyle, Co-founder

Email: ronan@fixie3d.com

Phone: +447427380639

Fixie Website: 

www.fixie3d.com

Fixie Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Fixie3D

Fixie LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixie-3d

Fixie Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/fixie3d/

Fixie’s #3DPHousingStudy explores at least one influential UK housing project from each decade starting with the City of London’s 1950’s development at Golden Lane Estate (location) designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon. 

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Great Arthur’s House, Golden Lane Estate (c) Steve Cadman

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3D Printed Model of Great Arthur’s House by Fixie.

We are focusing on the elements that made these projects special as well as how 3D printing can be used so effectively to bring those details to life. These projects have been precedents for the housing designs of generations since and yet there has been next to no investigation of them through emerging technologies like 3D printing. Would they have been designed differently if seen through the eyes of these technologies and materials? Can we understand the spaces or the approaches in a new light through the lens of 3D Printing? 

Each project will be at 1:100 scale 3D printed in resin and spray finished white to maintain a consistency for ease of comparison between projects. We’re excited about what will emerge.

Great Arthur’s House, Roof Plan View of 3D printed Model.

Housing Study #1 is focused on the communal and sculptural resident’s space at the top of Golden Lane Estate’s highest block; a 16 storey residential tower called Great Arthur House. As was a feature in post-war residential tower blocks, generous and integrated spaces like this were offered to residents of this new archetype. The rooftop’s most striking feature is its ‘Hat’ a curved and cantilevering concrete form that disguises a water storage tank. It is elegantly folded on top of the tower, like a piece of origami in direct contrast to the rectilinear tower that supports it.

Some beautiful details of this like the above, curated by Wayne Head, can be seen here: http://theeverydaypress.net/details-vol-2-barbican-and-golden-lane.

As well as the functional purpose it was hiding it also offered a gift to residents: a 17-storey 360 degree view of the Capital City. Nowadays, especially in a City like London, a space or experience like this comes with a lot of prestige, often a price tag and is generally only accessible to the few. In contrast, San Francisco, a city that is well known for its wealth divide, ensured spaces like these were actually of practical benefit to the general public. The 1985 Privately Owned Public Open Spaces (POPOS) legislation obliges new developments to provide 1sq. ft. of public space for every 50 sq. ft. of office space but perhaps more importantly in 2012 the law was updated to ensure the public knew where and how to access these spaces; so they’re now clearly sign posted. In an increasingly more vertical city like London, accessibility of these spaces becomes more of a necessity (balanced against security concerns and of course more recently social distancing concerns). 

The seperated digital Model parts prior to 3D printing.

When creating the 3D print of this model our 3D file fixers separated the digital information into 3 separate parts (The hat, the pergola and the tower block) for improving the post processing and finishing stages. Of course, 3D printing can print all in one piece (depending on print volume size) but often it makes sense to deconstruct a model like this in order to achieve the best results. 

Resin printing has an ability to bring out crisp and fine detail. This was especially useful when printing the expressive curved form of the tower’s ‘Hat’ and the delicate pergola. It almost felt like such a generous sculptural form deserved to be printed in such a clean and smooth format. Often 3D printing is the go-to tool for truly complex forms because it becomes very difficult to make them by hand or comprehend them through visuals/renders. However, it’s interesting to note that although it’s an unusual form, it is clearly of it’s time - almost an extrusion of a 2D drawing or section rather than a computer generated/informed design. If Chamberlin Powell & Bon had the tools available to us now it makes you wonder if they would have pushed this form further. This may very well have been to its detriment: the simplicity in many ways makes the form easier to digest.

Great Arthur’s Tower was sensitively re-clad in a project by John Robertson Architects. “The new facade improves the performance of the original windows with a double glazed and thermally insulated prefabricated panel system. The project involved extensive consultation with the City Planners, 20th Century Society and Leaseholders and tenants and received an RIBA National Award in 2019.”

Situated just North of London’s iconic Barbican Estate, Golden Lane Estate has, unlike many that were designed, built and demolished in the meantime, has continued to accommodate community life and doing this in the heart of the UK’s biggest city where Real Estate is at a premium. This is probably no surprise considering that the residents were so actively and overtly considered in the original design. 

Contributed by
Ronan O’Boyle,
Co-Founder, Fixie.

Fixie have launched a model making survey in their efforts to understand the appetite for models in the contemporary design process. Central to their study is where 3D printing fits within current processes.

SURVEY

The 2-minute survey is open to anybody within the industry who has an opinion! We’re sure that makes a few of you. Fixie are offering a draw for £5,000 of 3D printing services and separately a Chisel and Mouse Model to those who submit and wish to enter our draw.

We’ll be sharing our insights gained with the industry once all results are assessed.

If you have any further comments that aren’t covered by the survey and would like to share your thoughts please get in touch directly.

Thank you for your contributions.

Michelle Greeff and Fixie Team.

How 3D printing can influence

the architectural design process

Issue 309, February 2020, P. 102-103

Architecture Ireland Article - link

Many architects will have a complicated relationship with making models. Fond memories of simpler times quickly give way to what were actually coffee-fuelled, red-eyed, all-night marathons where fingers could be both glued together and covered in scalpel cuts in equal measure.

However, the relationship between the act of physically making and the design process formed a key part of our education in helping us to understand space and scale. Dr Simona Valeriani, who is leading an international research network on ‘Architectural Models in context: creativity, skill and spectacle’, highlights the critical relevance of models to the design process as ‘tools for thought and communication’. She says that they help us ‘to make invisible design processes visible’ and to document ‘moments of communication that are otherwise ephemeral’. According to Dr Valeriani, unlike any other media, models ‘directly convey the embodied 3D qualities of a building and have, since the Renaissance, been seen as the most comprehensible form of architectural representation’.

However, this pivotal role in the design process hasn’t prevented many of us laying down our scalpels and repurposing our cutting mats as mouse pads in recent years. This has been less a defiant downing of tools but rather a laying down of arms – a surrender representative of the wider shift from physical, hands-on skills to digital competencies. Emerging graduates and young architects are no longer tasked with making concept and competition models. Their literacy in quick and accurate computer modelling, along with creating effective visuals, allows for the leapfrogging of a traditional pillar of the architectural design process.

“What we lose from this digital allegiance are the venerated ‘happy mistakes’ that might arise in exploring a design through model making.”

This shift in skillsets is only one of a range of contributing factors that explains an increasing emphasis on visuals rather than physical models. The comparative ease of delivering CGIs and animations, along with the fact that visual images can be more justifiably charged to clients (both because of their efficiency and defined value) creates a case for residing within a digital bubble. Furthermore, visuals require little explanation. Whereas models allow viewers to read between the lines, visuals immediately speak the client’s language. It’s clear the choice comes down to ease and simplicity; presenting visuals to communicate design is more in tune with current workflows. What we lose from this digital allegiance are the venerated ‘happy mistakes’ that might arise in exploring a design through model making.

Such a move from manual/2D workflows to digital/3D methods does not mean that we need to sacrifice architectural models entirely though. 3D printing technologies allow us to take advantage of these new workflows in producing quick, affordable, and highly detailed representations of our digital designs. Critically, we can now make 3D models directly from 3D design data, as opposed to traditional model-making methods which require a return to 2D drawings to then produce a 3D model.

Prototyping through 3D printed models for Corstorphine + Wright Architects

3D printing is probably better known in its role as a prototyping tool, rather than as an approach to architectural model making. However, model making is undeniably a prototyping exercise, we’re just used to softer terminology for it. If we can begin to alter our perception of 3D printing in the architectural domain to begin to actively experiment with this new medium, both as a presentation method but more importantly, as an iterative design tool, it could present new ways to think about structure, form, and the construction process. We can begin to expose new ‘happy mistakes’.

In direct comparison with traditional model making methods, 3D printing technologies offer a range of new materials with varying qualities: transparent v. opaque, flexible v. rigid, smooth v. coarse and layered, full colour v. monochrome. Much like traditional model making, the choice of one or a combination of many helps to reflect the desired design; with the aid of technology though, many more options and varieties can be tried and tested prior to making a final design decision.

3D Printed Organic Forms in various finishes.

3D printing has the advantage of creating organic shapes and delicate structures with ease. However, it also has its own constraints, which are individual to each technology. Each constraint will influence your model design choices and consequently the overall design, whether that be the size of the printing bed, the strength of the material, detail achievable, appearance, or the post-processing methodologies.

On a practical level, for example, only being able to 3D print a facade element at an oversized thickness might affect your resulting detail, while the monolithic aesthetic of some materials and processes might lead you down the path of more massive structures. On the more theoretical side, the ability to easily create elaborate, complex, organic physical forms has the potential to test and experiment with solutions that would previously have been difficult to make or even imagine.                

To illustrate the influence of 3D printing on how architects might think and make, some examples which actively utilise these processes are discussed below. Critically, cases involve both the prototype scale and 1:1 built forms.

Make is a different kind of architecture practice. The employee-owned firm aims to "design the best buildings, places, and spaces in the world". Make's Ultim...

Make Architects, headquartered in London are – somewhat evidently from their name – focused on design through making. While they are encouraged to work with their hands, they have also invested in a bank of twelve Ultimaker ‘desktop’ 3D printers which allow for continuous 24/7 design development. It’s an approach that saw them shortlisted in the Best Use of Technology category in the AJ100 Awards (You may recognise the 2019 version of these awards)

We set up Fixie, the architectural 3D printing specialist with a similar aim to help build up a greater knowledge base of 3D printing within the architectural ecosystem. By making ourselves available as the ‘architect's 3D printing assistant', we hope to inform architects of the benefits and constraints of this technology. We know that architects are thinly spread and 3D printing can be a daunting additional task to approach; our aim is to make complex digital designs 3D printable. This involves a process called ‘file fixing’, where model files are edited to ensure that they print in the specified technology, with the desired detail, and that they survive any post-processing and finishing tasks. Architect's files need this special treatment as they're predominantly works-in-progress, not the finished articles that 3D printers normally encounter.

Until now, this article has discussed 3D printing solely with respect to the production of replicas and scaled working models. However, there are already numerous organisations who are thinking bigger; thinking about how 3D printing can offer an alternative to current methods of construction – allowing for decentralised, disaggregated, and more sustainable production methods.

Find out more about Ai Build's large scale 3D-printing technology at www.ai-build.com

AI Build emerged out of Zaha Hadid Architects. They have developed large-format robotic 3D printers that can create intricate parametrically modelled forms (akin to Zaha Hadid’s designs). These printers can create usable furniture and sculptures modelled in such a way that the structure is self supporting. Because of this integral strength, multiple parts can also be pieced together to create elaborate, expansive forms – 3D printing being a potential catalyst for more organic and efficient structures.

3D printed facade elements designed by DUS Studio for the Dutch Embassy Building.

DUS Architects, based in the Netherlands, have also created their own 3D printer – XL 3D Printer – in collaboration with Ultimaker. They’re using this 3D printer to create 1:1 building elements, including facade details, benches, and even a micro-home. Using 3D-printed elements, in combination with traditional building materials, they’re creating practical design solutions.

Aectual has emerged from DUS to pursue this avenue of thinking; they’ve turned the approach on its head by, among other things, using 3D printing to create formwork for more experimental concrete structures. Here, 3D printing is offering a way to reinvent existing materials.

XL 3D Printer used by Aectual to 3D print the floor of Schipol airport

However, you don’t have to be changing an entire industry with your explorations into 3D printing; architects can benefit through quietly and quickly exploring facade detail options or massing proposals without the fear of scalpel blades. Although it is an engineered response to a traditional task, 3D printing is open to exploration, to pushing rules and boundaries, and to leading you on an unexpected journey.

The regular trips across the Irish Sea over the last few months have paid off. No, we’re not running because of Brexit - we’re growing in spite of it! Fixie is now –in an extremely timely fashion– both a UK company and a European company, more specifically an Irish one. 

Fixie Co-Founder, Ronan O’Boyle has been relishing the opportunity to work from Ireland again. ‘It’s been a number of years since I’ve been properly on the ground in Dublin, there’s a tremendous buzz and we’ve had such a positive reception for what we’re offering.’  

Fixie has plans beyond it’s day-to-day offering (for those wondering: fast turn around, beautifully detailed and affordable architectural models delivered through a combination of 3D printing and traditional methods). We’re excited to explore and contribute to ongoing initiatives in Ireland in an effort to improve the communication of built environment issues and the delivery of quality solutions. Ireland is suffering from a housing emergency and communicating possible solutions effectively to all stakeholders will be a first step to solving some of these issues. 

Samuel Beckett Bridge - Colour Nylon Powder 3D Print

Samuell Beckett Bridge - White Sprayed Resin 3D Print

Fixie’s Irish operations will be centred in Dublin’s ever changing Docklands with an encouraging Start-Up ecosystem at Dogpatch Labs. To celebrate our new location guess what we did - we 3D printed one of the local landmarks of course: Dublin’s Samuel Beckett Bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava that opened in 2009. We’ll be happy to see the real thing every day on the way to work.

Michelle Greeff, Fixie CEO, has been encouraged by her interactions in Ireland. ‘The Irish economy seems to have recovered well and the construction sector is alive here. What I’ve found remarkably refreshing here is how open and engaged architects are in our new ways and new possibilities of delivering architectural models.’ Michelle believes that our experience working with all scale of architectural and property development firms in the UK will assist in meeting the varied and particular needs of Irish clients. ‘Our expertise in preparing all manner of architectural files should offer Irish architects a new means to communicate their projects.’

Although our Irish home will be in Dublin, we will be serving the whole country and visiting the other major cities over the coming months and looking forward to meeting existing clients and new on these trips in person. 

If you want to learn more about our services and 3D printing solutions please reach out to Ronan at info@fixie3d.com or call the Irish office on +353 1 960 9604.