Inside how the world’s tallest 3D-printed building was made in ‘technical triumph’
The tower was built in the rural village of Mulegns, in the region of Sursés in Switzerland, and will remain there for around five years before being dismantled and re-built elsewhere. It was unveiled on May 20, and three days later it was available for guided tours. In around a month’s time, in July 2025, the space will be open to host staged performances (Picture: Benjamin Hofer and Birdviewpicture / Nova Fundaziun Origen/Cover Images)
How was the tower built?
The project was a collaboration between researchers at ETH Zurich and cultural foundation Origen. The construction team opted for an additive manufacturing process, which is a process where objects are built layer by layer from a digital design. This allows for free-form elements, or shapes or objects that don't have strict geometric rules, without any supportive casting moulds (Picture: Benjamin Hofer and Birdviewpicture / Nova Fundaziun Origen/Cover Images)
The project used a special kind of concrete, which had to be soft enough to bind the structures, but harden quickly enough to support the following layers. Just before the concrete left the pressurised nozzle, two additives were blended into the mixture, allowing the droplet-like relief on the columns to be achieved (Picture: Benjamin Hofer and Birdviewpicture / Nova Fundaziun Origen/Cover Images)
This allowed for the 3D-printed elements to not only serve as a shell but are also load-bearing, which the researchers say make the building unique. They say that until now there was no suitable method to reinforce 3D-printed concrete effectively. It took around five months for the columns to be printed on the ETH Hönggerberg campus. The components were then assembled in Savognin and delivered to Mulegns in a heavy goods vehicle(Picture: Benjamin Hofer and Birdviewpicture / Nova Fundaziun Origen/Cover Images)
At the opening ceremony, Giovanni Netzer, founder of Origen, said: ‘I was fascinated by the interplay between digital design, traditional craftsmanship, cultural memory and artistic form. The White Tower is more than a technical triumph – it inspires the building sector, encourages sustainable tourism and offers new cultural space. It also gives a fading village a new chance. That’s extraordinary’ (Picture: Benjamin Hofer and Birdviewpicture / Nova Fundaziun Origen/Cover Images)
