XTreeE will 3D print a bridge in Paris for 2024 Olympic Games

The latest interesting news related to 3D printing in the construction sector: ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, Plaine Commune Grand Paris has awarded the design and construction of a 40-meter long footbridge to the Freyssinet / Lavigne & Cheron Architects / Quadric / XtreeE / LafargeHolcim consortium: its load-bearing structure, or deck, will be entirely 3D printed with concrete. The project should be finalized for the 2024 Olympic Games. This 3D printed bridge will be a first for the French capital.

It seems like additive manufacturing keeps spreading to more and more cities: we immediately think of Amsterdam with its first 3D printed bridge or the innovative bridge project by MX3D, but also Dubai, which plans to 3D print 25% of its buildings by 2030. In the US, companies like Mighty Buildings are 3D printing houses with unique proprietary concrete, and ICON has 3D printed a community in Mexico… The reason the 3D printing technology is becoming increasingly popular is because it brings greater design freedom, significant reduction in the materials used, and lower cost. XtreeE understood this very quickly, and thus developed a process to design concrete structures that are more durable, more complex and more respectful of our environment. The company’s objective is to reduce concrete consumption by 60% compared to traditionally built structures.

Image credits: Lavigne & Cheron Architectes

In an interview the company gave us a few years earlier, they explained: “Today, concrete is the second most consumed material on Earth, after water. In the last three years, China has produced more concrete than the United States during the entire 20th century. It is of course unthinkable to stop building with concrete, it is a great material as its formulation can be adapted to the properties required. This is where 3D printing comes into play: with increased geometric control, we can build optimized shapes to limit the quantity of materials to be used. Shapes that it was absolutely impossible to obtain on such a large scale before, for technological as well as financial reasons. Today, it is possible to manufacture with low-cost processes, architectural elements that are of real environmental interest“.