These 3D-printed concrete benches look woven

Concrete has come a long way since the days of flat, hard slabs. Sure, it’s still hard to the touch, but thanks to 3D printing, it’s starting to look a whole lot softer. Case in point: these woven concrete benches from Studio 7.5.

Photo via Dezeen

The Berlin-based design firm worked with the 3D printing company XtreeE to fabricate a series of outdoor benches that have a woven concrete pattern. To give the benches their intertwined appearance, a six-axis robot extruded a continuous stream of concrete in a wavering motion, building up one layer of material on top of the next.

Photo via Dezeen

The result is a intricate woven pattern that gives the benches the appearance of being made from gray rope. Like Alessandro di Prisco’s bulbous concrete chairs, 7.5’s benches have a softness that belies the material’s hard touch. It’s a clever effect, and one that’s made increasingly possible with technologies like 3D printing, which allow concrete to take on more complex forms.

Via: Dezeen