Diamanti: A Modular, Post-Tensioned 3D Printed Bridge

Diamanti is a modular, post-tensioned bridge prototype with 3D printed concrete segments fabricated by Vertico. It was shown at the 2025 Venice Biennale in the Time, Space, Existence exhibition organized by the European Cultural Centre (ECC).

Project overview

Diamanti came out of a collaborative research initiative that combined academic expertise with industrial know-how. The goal was a modular, prefabricated funicular bridge system.

The structure uses its geometry and additive manufacturing to reduce material use while keeping structural performance high.

The project was led by Prof. Dr. Masoud Akbarzadeh and his team at the Polyhedral Structures Laboratory (PSL) at the University of Pennsylvania. It is based on Polyhedral Graphic Statics, a method where geometry governs the force flow, channeling both compressive and tensile forces through an efficient form.

Design and fabrication

The bridge is made of nine distinct segments. Each one includes embedded anticlastic surfaces that stiffen the geometry and distribute shear loads.

Those surfaces also increase the surface area of the concrete, which enhances carbonation and helps reduce embodied carbon.

Vertico 3D printed the concrete segments with its robotic printing technology and a multi-component cement mix developed by Sika. The complex geometries were produced without traditional formwork.

Our 2K printing system made it possible to reach the intricate shapes and clean resolution the project needed. Learn how two-component printing works in understanding 1K and 2K in 3D concrete printing.

Post-tensioning and assembly

The nine elements are joined with ungrouted steel cables into a functional, prestressed bridge.

This dry-assembly method keeps the structure fully demountable at the end of its life, so the materials can be separated and recycled.

Sustainability and material efficiency

Diamanti reduces construction waste and material volume. The segments are printed as hollow geometries that follow the load paths, with pre-designed voids and geometric stiffness that cut down on concrete use.

The modular build also supports reuse and adaptation. For more on how printing lowers material use, see our article on the environmental benefits of concrete 3D printing.

Dimensions and testing

The version exhibited in Venice spans 2.5 meters, with a bottom width of 60 cm and a maximum depth of 26 cm at mid-span.

A longer 9-meter span based on the same structural principle has already been tested successfully.

Diamanti shows what happens when computational design, structural logic and digital fabrication come together in prefabricated architecture. It builds on our material development partnership with Sika and on earlier work such as the topology optimised bridge.

Credits

• Design and structural engineering: Prof. Dr. Masoud Akbarzadeh, Amir Motavaselian, Dr. Maximilian E. Ororbia, Hua Chai, Yefan Zhi, Teng Teng, Pouria Vakhshouri, Dr. Mathias Bernhard (PSL, University of Pennsylvania)
• Industry partner (material and mix development): Sika Group Switzerland (Karolina Pajak, Leon Trousset, Severin Mueller, Mylene Bernard, Fabrice Decroix)
• 3D printing: Vertico
• Fabrication and assembly: Carsey 3D
• Post-tensioning: AEVIA
• Structural analysis: Advanced Building Construction Lab, City College of New York (Prof. Dr. Damon Bolhassani, Dr. Fahimeh Yavartanoo)
• Load testing: CERIB, France
• Material calibration: Prof. Dr. Joseph Yost, Javier Tapia (Villanova University)
• Additional support: Paul Kassabian, Blaise Waligun