In a time of exponential population increase and an associated lack of affordable housing, TECLA is a 3D printed habitat made of reusable, recyclable materials taken from the earth itself. Designed by MC A – Mario Cucinella Architects and engineered and built by WASP (Italy’s pioneering 3d printing specialists), the first prototype of TECLA is due to be launched this year near Bologna, Italy.
Inspired by the potter wasp, TECLA will be constructed with multiple collaborative 3D printers using locally sourced clay. A biodegradable and recyclable ‘km 0 natural’ material, the use of local clay that will result in a building that is effectively zero-waste.
The design is able to adapt to multiple environments and is suitable for self-production through the use of WASP’s innovative Maker Economy Starter Kit. Used in the context of a wider masterplan, TECLA’s innovators explain it has the potential to become the basis for a brand new autonomous eco-cities that are off the current grid.
This collaboration between WASP and MC A has been supported by Mapei, a global producer of construction materials, which has studied the clay materials and identified the key components within raw earth mixtures to create a final, highly optimised printable product. Structural tests were undertaken by Milan-based engineering consultancy Milan Ingegneria, who worked on the optimisation of the building shape in order to create a self-supporting structure. Customised, highly-efficient frames were engineered and produced by Capoferri, while landscaping has been undertaken by Frassinago, a multidisciplinary landscape architecture company that specializes in the garden and outdoor sector.
RiceHouse provided technical consultancy to the project with respect to biomaterials deriving from rice cultivation waste – rice husk and rice straw, which affect the thermal performance and living comfort of the building envelope. Project lighting, developed both internally and externally with the aim of achieving the maximum flexibility and sustainability of the intervention, has been developed by Lucifero’s.
