SVELTE

Fast surface generation for efficient building structures, reducing concrete use by 30%.

In the next 30 years, it is estimated that the world’s population could rise by 2.1 billion people. To provide for these people, a new city such as New York will need to be built each month, over the next 40 years. As such, significant research into accelerating decarbonisation of the construction industry is taking place across the globe. The EU-funded SVELTE project, aims to improve building structural efficiency by using complex shapes that provide extra strength. SVELTE is developing an innovative machine-system that generates all types of surfaces 40 times faster than CNC milling or 3D printing. These complex shapes are used to create buildings that use up to 30 % less concrete, while having the same strength as a regular building. Presently, SVELTE is testing the technology to produce freeform architectural panels together with Frener-Rifer Gmbh and the Austrian Institute of Architecture.