Vertico3D

Printing a Living Wall | Behind the Process

This prototype, developed in collaboration with HKS and , explores how 3D printing can create architectural surfaces that are both structurally efficient and biologically active.

At first glance, the folds and pockets appear to be designed purely for plants. In reality, they serve another purpose as well. One of the key goals of this prototype was to understand how tangent folds can increase rigidity and structural performance, allowing shallow overhangs to be printed without additional reinforcement.

The geometry creates a network of planting pockets connected by recessed channels designed to transport water and nutrients throughout the wall. At the same time, the folds strengthen the structure, demonstrating how geometry can contribute to both environmental function and structural stability.

Projects like this highlight one of the most exciting aspects of concrete 3D printing: the ability to combine multiple functions into a single printed element, where structure, planting, and architectural expression become one integrated system.

Project developed through HKS | LINE research and a Biodigital Making course led by at Woodbury University.

Greenfield Residency | Human & Robot in Sync

As part of the Greenfield Residency, students from in Berlin under the supervision of developed a pavilion prototype that explores how robotic concrete printing can create engaging social spaces.

The pavilion is composed of just two repeating elements. When assembled, they form a semi-enclosed space that naturally invites people to sit, meet, and have conversations.

The shingles are inserted directly during printing and feature openings that allow the concrete layers to bond together. It’s a simple detail that makes the assembly possible while showcasing collaboration between robot and operator.

This project perfectly reflects what the Greenfield Residency is all about: giving academic teams access to industrial robotic technology and the opportunity to test ambitious ideas at full scale. Watching a concept evolve from a digital model into a built space is an experience that simply can’t be replicated in the classroom.

Interested in bringing your own research to life?

Applications for Greenfield Residency 2026 are now open.

Applications are now open | Greenfield Residency 2026

Every year, we open the doors of our workshop to academic teams from around the world.

The Greenfield Residency was created for professors, assistant professors, and studio supervisors who want to give their students something that many universities simply can’t offer: hands-on experience with industrial robotic fabrication.

For one week, selected teams work alongside the Vertico team, transforming research ideas into full-scale prototypes using our robotic systems. Whether your project explores 3D concrete printing, robotic milling, clay printing, or another experimental fabrication process, we welcome innovative proposals that make meaningful use of robotics.

Over the past editions, Greenfield has brought together universities from Egypt, Turkey, Germany, and the United States, leading to exciting collaborations and full-scale research projects.

Application deadline: July 26, 2026
Residency: Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Who can apply: Professors, assistant professors, and studio supervisors applying on behalf of a student team.

More information and the application form are available through the link in our bio.

Revealing the Surface | Concrete Milling in Progress

There’s something satisfying about watching the final geometry slowly emerge from the printed surface.

This video captures the milling process behind our acoustic panel research, where layers of material are gradually removed to reveal hundreds of precisely positioned concave features. What begins as a relatively simple printed panel transforms into a highly detailed surface designed for acoustic performance.

While printing creates the overall form, milling introduces a level of precision, detail, and surface complexity that would be difficult to achieve through extrusion alone.
Each new test allows us to push the process further, exploring how additive and subtractive manufacturing can work together to create functional architectural surfaces.

Designed by our PhD researcher Arwin Hidding. Vertico is sponsoring this PhD research at Delft University of Technology together with the European Space Agency (ESA).

Start, Stop, Print. Repeat.

One of the challenges in 2K concrete printing is that material is typically deposited as one continuous extrusion path.

In this test, we are exploring automatic start-stop control of both the pumping system and dosing station, allowing the printer to create discontinuous layers and separate printed elements within a single process.

The result is a column composed of three disconnected parts, printed simultaneously as one design. Just a few years ago, this would have been difficult to imagine with 2K concrete printing.

This time, we are testing a new geometry: a three-piece column twisting around a shared center. While the elements never physically touch, they work together visually as a single architectural form.

A small step in process control, but a big step toward more complex geometries and greater design freedom in concrete printing.