Digital Wave

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BACKGROUND Additive manufacturing, particularly 3D concrete printing, has emerged as a transformative technology in architecture, enabling complex geometries, reduced material waste, and increased design flexibility. While its applications have been widely explored in structural systems and experimental construction, its integration into landscape architecture and small-scale urban environments remains limited. At the same time, increasing urban density has intensified the demand for adaptable and multifunctional green spaces, particularly within constrained environments such as balconies. Conventional balcony design often lacks spatial complexity, ecological integration, and customisation. This project addresses this gap by investigating how 3D concrete printing can be applied to landscape architecture, establishing a design-to-fabrication framework for customised, multifunctional urban garden systems.

CONTRIBUTION Digital Wave is a design-led research project and built installation exhibited at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS) 2023, held at Carlton Gardens in Melbourne. The project was developed through a collaboration between Dr Nic Bao from RMIT Architecture, BW Architects, CX Landscape, and Thedge Pty Ltd, with fabrication by DC Lab Swinburne using 3D concrete printing technologies. It was shortlisted in the MIFGS Balcony Garden Competition, demonstrating recognition within a competitive design context. The project explores a new typology of 3D printed balcony gardens as “architectural furniture”, integrating spatial structure, planting systems, and functional adaptability within a compact footprint. Inspired by fluid and cloud-like morphologies, the design employs parametric modelling to generate continuous, curved geometries that define a multi-functional landscape system. Through additive manufacturing, customised concrete structures are produced without conventional formwork, enabling complex forms that accommodate soil, planting, and environmental conditions. The design integrates ecological systems within a highly constrained urban context, transforming the balcony into a layered spatial environment that supports vegetation, shading, and habitation. The project establishes a workflow that integrates computational design, additive manufacturing, and landscape systems, demonstrating a scalable approach to customised urban green infrastructure.

SIGNIFICANCE The project was exhibited at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS) 2023, held at Carlton Gardens, Melbourne, a World Heritage-listed site. MIFGS is one of the largest and most prestigious horticultural and garden design exhibitions in the Southern Hemisphere, attracting over 100,000 visitors annually and ranking among the top flower and garden shows globally. As Australia’s first fully 3D printed balcony garden, the project represents a significant milestone in the application of additive manufacturing within landscape architecture and urban design. It demonstrates the translation of advanced digital fabrication technologies into publicly accessible, real-world built outcomes. The project contributes to advancing research in digital construction, sustainable design, and urban micro-environmental systems, by demonstrating how 3D printing can enable customised, low-waste, and spatially adaptive solutions for dense urban environments. By integrating computational design, fabrication technologies, and ecological systems, Digital Wave positions 3D concrete printing as a viable strategy for future urban living, bridging design innovation, industry application, and public engagement.