Omlab aims to make #3dcp a lot more sustainable! Omlab researches ecologically sound options for sustainable 3d constructive printing. The circular and biobased designstudio focusses on resources from (waste) water management. Tertiairy resources, so formerly known as garbage.

3dcp? 3d constructive printing or 3d concrete printing. At Omlab we use the term as 3d circular printing!

At our workshop in Arnhem (The Netherlands) Omlab reduces the use of new biobased resources to a minimum. Also, Omlab doesn’t use minerals or fossile resources or chemical additives.

Omlab has made several circular materialprototypes like ItBetterMatter and BuildMatterial. De double t is deliberate, based on ‘Material Matters’ by Thomas Rau and Sabine Rau-Oberhufer. Materials have rights, and waste doesn’t exist.

Omlab’s Matterials (the material prototypes) are ecologically sound, biodegradable and can be used for constructions indoors and for temporary structures outside. First findings also show it can be reprinted as well.

Omlab has 3dprinted large stackable building blocks, made with BuildMatterial, the circular building paste made out of waste water based resources. Together with Fillip Studios, the studio researches how Omlab’s 3D-printable waste material can give nature a chance to recover from nitrogen acidification (English info about Maacq Oase on ddw.nl).

At the moment it has the strength of a cellular concrete block (C8/c10). This research was conducted by very inventive Avans-students without – because of Covid19 – the access to a lab facility. TNO – the Dutch organisation for applied research and technology – will check some of  these findings.

In 2021 and 2022 Omlab will work on improving the constructive ability of the BuildMatterial and several proof of concepts, together with a Dutch concrete company, partners and with the expertise of TNO (Rijksprogramma Emissieloos Bouwen (net zero carbon building)).