The Warp, a 3D-Printed Japanese Teahouse Made of Recycled Wood

At the latest edition of Dubai Design Week, Japanese architecture studio Mitsubishi Jisho Design unveiled The Warp, a new sort of tearoom. Made from recycled wood using an extrusion 3D printing technique, this installation showcases an innovative approach called “Regenerative Wood”. This process covers the entire production cycle, from design to the realization of architectural elements and furniture, and is developed within their design studio and laboratory dedicated to wood.

The Warp is a structure combining traditional Japanese wood craftsmanship and 3D printing techniques. The installation consists of almost 900 individual panels, each fashioned from recycled wood powder, a material derived from wood processing waste. These elements were then assembled using an ancestral Japanese carpentry method.

A Fusion of Traditional Craftsmanship and Modern Technology

As explained earlier, they have developed an innovative approach called Regenerative Wood, which uses the sawdust waste generated by traditional construction methods. By combining these wood residues with PLA, they produce a filament used for 3D printing. This process makes it possible to create new structures and objects, giving a second life to these by-products from the manufacture of cross-laminated timber.