MIT researchers have developed “a new type of reconfigurable masonry using 3D-printed recycled glass,” reports Srishti Gupta for Interesting Engineering. “The team has developed robust, multilayered glass bricks shaped like figure eights,” explains Gupta. “These bricks are designed to interlock seamlessly, similar to LEGO pieces, making them versatile and easy to assemble.”
Designboom reporter Matthew Burgos spotlights how MIT engineers “3D printed recycled glass and produced robust LEGO-like bricks for buildings and facades.” The researchers found that “in mechanical testing, a single 3D printed recycled glass brick can withstand pressures similar to those of a concrete block,” Burgos explains. “This means that the material can be just as robust as concrete, making it ideal for construction.”
Researchers at MIT have developed “3D-printed glass blocks shaped like a figure eight that snap together like LEGOs,” reports Brian Heater for TechCrunch. “The team points to glass’ optical properties and its ‘infinite recyclability’ as reasons for turning to the material,” writes Heater.
CNN reporter Jacopo Prisco spotlights Prof. Carlo Ratti and architect Italo Rota on their eco-friendly design of Italy’s pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020. “One thing I do not like about temporary events – like various international exhibitions or the Olympic Games – is that a huge amount of waste ends up in landfills after just a few weeks or months,” says Ratti. “This is why we wanted the Italian Pavilion to address the temporary nature of the Dubai Expo 2020. Most architectural elements are recycled or recyclable, refused or reusable.”
Architects from MIT and Generate Technologies have designed Boston’s first cross-laminated timber (CLT) building, a “’revolutionary’ type of timber [that] promises to reduce emissions that cause climate change, create affordable housing and jumpstart a new job-producing, homegrown industry in New England,” reports Bruce Gellerman and Kathleen McNerney for WBUR.
Professor Carlo Ratti writes for the Financial Times about how data analysis can help architects design better buildings for the future. “If implemented correctly, analysis of occupancy and movement promises to revolutionise our built environment,” Ratti writes.