Dutch architect, Janjaap Ruijssenaars, unveils 3D printed bench inspired by his plans for the Landscape House

Feb 5, 2016 | By Tess

In 2013, Dutch architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars impressed us all with his plans to create a 3D printed concept house called the Landscape House. Though the construction, or I should say the 3D printing, of the Landscape House has not yet started, Ruijssenaars has made a 3D printed bench reminiscent of his building’s design, which will be unveiled today, February 4th, 2016, in Amsterdam.

The 3D printed bench’s design possesses the same signature curves and MC Escher-like style that make the design for the Landscape House so special and is in actuality based on a 1:15 scale model of the building.

Ruijssenaars and his architecture firm Universe Architecture, which he founded in 2000, are in talks with the city of Amsterdam to produce more 3D printed benches to disperse around the city. For now, the existing 3D printed bench will be stationed outside of European construction group BAM’s office in the southeast of Amsterdam. BAM is collaborating with Universe Architecture to realize the 3D printed Landscape House.

In addition to the bench being presented, Ruijssenaars and his team will also be working on creating a smaller scale model of the 3D printed house, which will allow interested parties and investors to see what the actual house will eventually look like. Ruijssenaar explains of the model they will be 3D printing, “It does not have the full dimensions of the building, but with about four meters it is already large enough for a child to walk up.”

The model of the Landscape House will be additively manufactured starting in March 2016 at a venue in Amsterdam where other 3D printing experiments and projects will be underway as part of the EU 2016 summit. The 3D printer used to manufacture the model will be shipped from Italy.

architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars

In his original plans, Ruijssenaars planned to 3D print the actual Landscape House using a large scale 3D printer called D-Shape, which was developed by Italian inventor Enrico Dini. The house was to be constructed in 6x9 meter 3D printed blocks made out of a composite sand and inorganic binder material.

While the construction has not yet been realized, Ruijssenaar compares his process to that of Spanish architect Gaudí’s famously unfinished Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, and states that the new target for having the Landscape House finished will be next year, in 2017.

For now, however, the 3D printed bench, which bears Amsterdam’s iconic three Xs, can be visited and sat upon until the 3D printed house comes to fruition. This is just one of Amsterdam’s exciting 3D printing installations, others include a 3D printed canal bridge, the 3D printed Europe Building erected for the Dutch presidency of the European Union, and the ongoing 3D printed canal house.