In 2016, WATG’s innovative Urban Architecture Studio has won First Prize in the The Freeform Home Design Challenge, a competition to design the world’s first freeform 3D printed house. Known as Curve Appeal, this innovative building inspired by the Case Study Houses from the mid-1940s, is cohesion of modern architecture, minimalist elements and “open plan living spaces that maximized natural light.”
Now, almost two years later, this project is one step closer to being finished, since Curve Appeal is now undergoing the “wall section testing, research and development phase” with an anticipated goal of breaking ground later this year.
Curve Appeal
In order to create the “next evolutionary step” in design, the renowned architects are employing Branch Technology’s innovative 3D-printing processes to manufacture test subjects for their home. With Thorton Tomasetti at the lead, the crew is already “printing test beams and partial wall sections to examine their load bearing capabilities,” as well as looking to United States Gypsum for help with looking into “gypsum material components” that could be use for fire protection and strengthening the building’s structural integrity.
Curve Appeal
WATG and Branch Technology have also engaged Interface, a high-performance mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design firm, “to design a passive mechanical system with the aim of making the house net-zero-energy.”
The location of this futuristic home is a heavily wooded lot just steps away from the Tennessee River in Chattanooga. “WATG is currently producing detailed design drawings and working in collaboration with the City of Chattanooga to ensure the project is advancing according to the intended timeline.”
