🐝 We are pleased to see another collaborative project move from concept to reality.
The newly installed insect houses in Riga’s urban meadows demonstrate how digital fabrication and low-emission construction materials can contribute to more biodiversity-friendly cities. Developed together with Collective Fabula, the project explores how 3D printing technologies can be used not only for human-centred infrastructure, but also to create microhabitats for other species sharing our urban environment.
At the RTU 3D Concrete Printing Lab, we are developing alternative construction materials with reduced environmental impact. For this project, two types of 3D-printable materials were used. One was developed within the TRANSITION project, where part of the cement is replaced with oil shale ash. The second was developed within the LACHMAT project and is fully cement-free, using ash-based binders together with additional mineral components. This allowed us to test different low-emission material strategies in the same application context.
The installations are intended as refuges for solitary bees – an important group of pollinators that do not live in colonies and are increasingly affected by habitat loss. Located in the urban meadows of Uzvaras Park, the structures combine 3D-printed elements with natural reed bundles that provide nesting opportunities for insects.
Projects like this allow us to test innovative materials and manufacturing approaches in real environmental conditions while demonstrating how research, design and ecology can come together to create tangible public value.
Design and initiative: Collective Fabula (Rūta Jumīte and Tīna Alise Drupa)
Collaboration and fabrication: RTU 3D Concrete Printing Lab Dāvis Dragons, HELMUTS NEZBORTS,
Supported by: Rīgas meži, VKKF, European Climate Pact in Latvia
📸 Jānis Klaučs
Transforming Waste Into High-Performance 3D Printable Cementitious Composite hashtag#3DPrinting hashtag#AdditiveManufacturing hashtag#Biodiversity hashtag#SustainableConstruction hashtag#LowCarbonMaterials hashtag#RTU hashtag#ResearchImpact hashtag#UrbanNature
