Cadenza
2024
Cadneza is a helical concrete stair located within the STEP2 Unit, a two-storey office space in Dübendorf, Switzerland. STEP2 is a collaborative and flexible workspace within the Next Evolution Sustainable Building Technologies (NEST) platform on the Empa and Eawag campus.
We were part of the DBT team that designed, engineered, and developed the fabrication process for Cadenza, working within a multi-disciplinary team with ETH Zürich researchers and industry specialists.
With Cadenza, we demonstrated a structurally optimised use of material, with steps less than 20 mm thick and weighing only 45 kg. To further enhance the material efficiency, we used three memory®-steel post-tensioning bars, located in the off-centre load-bearing core. To achieve the complex geometry of the 16 concrete steps, we developed a system of reusable 3D-printed formworks. The steps and the two-part landing were designed to be assembled with dry connections only, making the tectonic concept compatible with refurbishments and circular economy architecture, being modular, and ready to be dismantled and reassembled.
Credits:
Stair design
Digital Building Technologies – ETH Zurich, ROK Architects
Fabrication system
Digital Building Technologies – ETH Zurich, SW Umwelttechnik
Formwork development and 3D printing
Digital Building Technologies – ETH Zurich, BASF Forward AM, New Digital Craft
Structural design
Precast concrete
SW Umwelttechnik
Post-tensioning system
Project management
ROK Architects
Cadenza
2024
Cadneza is a helical concrete stair located within the STEP2 Unit, a two-storey office space in Dübendorf, Switzerland. STEP2 is a collaborative and flexible workspace within the Next Evolution Sustainable Building Technologies (NEST) platform on the Empa and Eawag campus.
We were part of the DBT team that designed, engineered, and developed the fabrication process for Cadenza, working within a multi-disciplinary team with ETH Zürich researchers and industry specialists.
With Cadenza, we demonstrated a structurally optimised use of material, with steps less than 20 mm thick and weighing only 45 kg. To further enhance the material efficiency, we used three memory®-steel post-tensioning bars, located in the off-centre load-bearing core. To achieve the complex geometry of the 16 concrete steps, we developed a system of reusable 3D-printed formworks. The steps and the two-part landing were designed to be assembled with dry connections only, making the tectonic concept compatible with refurbishments and circular economy architecture, being modular, and ready to be dismantled and reassembled.
Credits:
Stair design
Digital Building Technologies – ETH Zurich, ROK Architects
Fabrication system
Digital Building Technologies – ETH Zurich, SW Umwelttechnik
Formwork development and 3D printing
Digital Building Technologies – ETH Zurich, BASF Forward AM, New Digital Craft
Structural design
Precast concrete
SW Umwelttechnik
Post-tensioning system
Project management
ROK Architects