Dec 24, 2017 | By Tess
If you fancy yourself an expert in architecture, we’ve got a fun challenge for you. Fumio Matsumoto, an architect and a professor at the University of Tokyo in Japan has designed and 3D printed a complex homage to architectural history which includes building details dating back to the 18th century BC. The challenge is: can you identify them all?
The block-shaped installation, titled “Memories of Architecture,” includes elements from 35 different famous architectural feats, which are built on top of each other in chronological order.
In the bottom corner of the 3D printed model, you’ll find the oldest inclusion: an element from the hypostyle hall and pylon from the Karnak Temple dating back to Ancient Egypt (18 to 12th centuries).
Other notable details include the Parthenon’s iconic colonnade (447 to 431 BC), the nave of the Reims Cathedral in France (1211-1311), the curtain wall of Walter Gropuis’ Bahaus Dessau building (1925), the Farnsworth House by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1951), and many more.
The most recent inclusion is a collection of small boxes based on the Moriyama House in Japan, designed by Ryue Nishizawa (2005).
The effect of having so many different architectural styles meshed into a single 3D printed object is quite striking and it showcases many contrasts and similarities between disparate architectural styles through hundreds of years.
The changes in scale (the 3D printed model has a 1:300 scale for the architectural details, so they are all proportional to each other) are especially interesting, as well as the attention to detail in certain styles, and how space is included in the different periods.
“While it is not a comprehensive overview of architectural history, it does illustrate some significant trends over time, such as the shift from massive to minute forms and from enclosed to open spaces,” commented Matsumoto.
The impressive 3D printed project is being exhibited as part of ARCHITECTONICA, a permanent show at the University of Tokyo Museum of Architecture’s Koishikawa Annex. In addition to Matsumoto’s 3D printed “Memories of Architecture” piece, the exhibit is hosting a number of architectural models, materials, and more.
If you feel up to the challenge of guessing which architectural elements the 3D printed piece includes, we wish you luck! If you’re just curious about the different elements in the elaborate model, you can see the full list and guide below.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
Maybe you also like:
- Students use 3D printing to develop stylish walking aid prototype for eldery, the Lio
- Air Force Research Lab development integrates Internet of Things on to a wearable 3D printed chip
- IFW Dresden fighting cervical cancer with 3D printed bull semen 'spermbots'
- Dutch physician Lars Brouwers driving to Africa to deliver 3D printed hands
- Gift of independence: Two 9-year-old boys receive 3D printed prosthetic hands just in time for Christmas
- 3D printed 'No-Snow Globes' are stark reminder of climate change during Christmas holidays
- University of Tokyo team’s 3D printed humanoid robots can sweat, do pushups and play badminton
- 3D printed ceramic implant fuses with natural bone, relacing broken parts over time
- New molecular 3D printing tech capable of recreating complex chemical environments of the human body
- Siam Cement 3D prints 3m-tall 'Triple S' concrete building with new surface, structure & shelter concept
- Twin cold spray robots allow GE to 3D print metal parts on unprecedented scale
- Farmshelf uses cost-effective, custom 3D printed parts for an urban farming system
- ConforMIS' custom 3D printed knee implants help 61-year-old woman regain mobility