Construction robot "In situ Fabricator" ready to go
Construction start for NEST unit “dfab house”
On May 2, at the ground-breaking ceremony for the NEST unit “dfab house”, the project team, consisting of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) “Digital Fabrication”, ETH Zurich and numerous partners from industry, celebrated the construction start together with Empa, the owner of NEST. “dfab house” is a unique project, which not only has been digitally designed and planned; it will also be built using digital fabrication methods and with the use of robots and large-scale 3D printers.
Leading global position in the field of digital fabrication in architecture and construction
From digital fabrication to digital living
“dfab house” is scheduled to be complemented in the summer of 2018. Once in operation, the digitally fabricated unit is conceived to highlight new forms of digital control and communication within the home and will thus extend the smart home concept with advanced digital interconnectivity for the benefit of its inhabitants. On the occasion of the ground-breaking ceremony, Balz Halter from digitalSTROM presented the initial concept for how “dfab house” will be able to understand what is happening within the unit. Integrated technologies will be enhanced with responsive control systems to both reduce energy consumption and improve the overall living experience for the residents.
With the broad range of technologies invested into this unit, “dfab house” is well positioned to become a flagship project for both the digital fabrication and digital living of the future.