3D Printing Meets Tradition: A Look at the Bauhaus University Weimar

3D printing is already finding numerous applications in traditionally craft-based and artistic fields. At the intersection of design, technology, and innovation, it is playing an increasingly important role in creative disciplines, including, of course, higher education of those disciplines. The Bauhaus University Weimar, with its long-standing tradition of uniting art, design, architecture, and engineering, offers an ideal environment for exploring and advancing the potential of this technology. Students and researchers use 3D printing not only in design practice but also to develop new materials, sustainable building methods, and interdisciplinary projects. We spoke with professors and lecturers from various research areas at Bauhaus University Weimar, who showed us how additive manufacturing can be applied within such a historic academic institution. From creative discussions about design philosophies to practical applications in construction and materials science, this article offers a glimpse into the university and the possibilities of 3D printing technologies.

The founding of the historical Bauhaus took place during a time of major social and political change, with the aim of harnessing the potential of rapid industrialization. A strong affinity for technology and the integration of artistic and technical innovation have always been part of the Bauhaus tradition. In this article, you will gain a contemporary look at the work being done at Bauhaus University Weimar. Faculty members from Architecture and the Built Environment as well as Art and Design share their expertise and show how 3D printing is shaping their teaching and research.

Materials Mechanics, Design Theory, and Design Research

The university is internationally recognized for its distinctive design education, but disciplines such as architecture and materials science also play an important role in Weimar. Junior Professor Dr.-Ing. Luise Göbel, who holds the chair in Materials Mechanics, focuses on sustainable and digital building practices. She has been working with 3D printing for nearly a decade, and since then the technology has remained a constant focus of her work. According to Prof. Göbel, 3D printing holds significant potential for innovation in the construction industry, as well as strong scientific relevance within her field. She describes its impact as having “enormous resonance in the scientific community,” and it has long been a core part of her own research. She highlights in particular its ability to produce quick demonstrations, custom components, and prototypes: “[With 3D printing] we can also test geometries that we later want to implement using large-scale concrete printers (…). In that sense, its influence on work processes is truly substantial.”

Representing a more artistic discipline, we also spoke with Dr. Michael Braun. A product designer and design scholar, he has been part of the Faculty of Art and Design in the Chair of Design Theory and Design Research since 2018. His perspective on the potential of 3D printing is different but in many ways complementary. His research engages with contemporary design cultures, digital design processes, and creative practice, and here too 3D printing plays an important role. The technology has accompanied him since the beginning of his studies. In his view, additive manufacturing has the potential to “raise new questions about the relationship between design, material, and technology,” positioning it as a cultural, creative, and epistemological field of tension. Already in his master’s thesis, which explored how digital tools might dissolve the traditional separation between design and execution, Braun focused on 3D printing. He continued this line of inquiry in his doctoral research, where he examined possible advancements in additive manufacturing and robotic 3D printing.

Two Fascinating Perspectives and Projects

In addition to prototyping and visualizing ideas, Göbel is particularly engaged with the technology through her project StimuCrete. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space, the project investigates the so-called rheological behavior of concrete. Its goal is to give concrete intelligent properties. While this may sound complex at first, it could bring decisive progress in 3D concrete printing. Put simply, the concrete should remain flexible and flowable during the printing process but solidify immediately after leaving the print head in order to support the following layer of material. “We want to make it possible to switch this behavior on at the push of a button,” says Göbel about the aim of the StimuCrete project.

Braun, on the other hand, sees 3D printing as a tool that can fundamentally transform creative processes. Traditionally, manufacturing processes have been strictly separated. Think, for example, of an architect who designs a house and a construction company that later builds it. With additive manufacturing, Braun argues, design and execution are no longer separate phases: “Design is no longer something that is completed before fabrication, but something that continues to evolve during fabrication.” This, he explains, also creates creative tensions. The mechanical precision that comes with 3D printing raises fascinating questions about design processes, such as how they change under digital conditions and what becomes of craftsmanship in the process. These were the research questions that initially led Braun to 3D printing. What particularly interests him is the idea of “digital craftsmanship,” where the focus is not on perfection but on critically engaging with deviations, material behavior, and emergence. In short, the imperfections that occur during the printing process should not be seen as “errors” but instead as a creative resource.

Students as Mediators of Additive Technologies

Both Junior Professor Dr.-Ing. Luise Göbel and Dr. Michael Braun observe a strong enthusiasm for the subject among their students. Additive manufacturing is understood not just as a technological novelty, but as an opportunity to rethink ecological, social, and design-related questions. Topics covered in the 3D printing modules at Bauhaus University Weimar include, for example, resource-efficient construction, digital production cultures, and new forms of aesthetic practice.

This year, the university will establish its own DigitalPrintCreteLab, giving students the chance to conduct their own additive experiments under the guidance of experts. “In addition to the printing device itself, this lab includes a variety of sensors, allowing both the printing process and the results to be examined and evaluated from multiple perspectives,” Göbel explains. The Bauhaus University Weimar will also soon offer a course that “provides practical knowledge not only on theoretical foundations but also on IT interfaces, materials science issues, and electrotechnical design.” The module is not aimed solely at materials scientists or civil engineers; students from all faculties are encouraged to engage with and be inspired by the 3D printing curriculum.

In the course formats Robotic Tectonics I and Robotic Tectonics II, students from architecture, civil engineering, and design jointly experimented with robotically controlled 3D printing processes. The goal of this module, particularly Robotic Tectonics II, was to design, print, and assemble non-standardized components from a variety of materials using robotic guidance. The actual implementation of interdisciplinary design and construction processes was especially important. In this interdisciplinary teaching format, led by Dr. Michael Braun together with Prof. Dr. Jan Willmann, Prof. Dr. Lars Abrahamczyk, and Melad Haweyou, students were free to decide how to realize their designs for the components, though many ultimately chose 3D printing. As Braun explains, “3D printing is not only understood as a manufacturing technology but as a design medium that enables students to conduct material-based experiments.”

In all of the courses mentioned, students gained hands-on experience with 3D printing technologies. Göbel emphasizes that students are particularly interested in 3D printing because the technology will play a significant role in their future professional lives. She also highlights that students act as important multipliers, “able to carry ideas from research into practice,” which makes the opening of the new lab and the development of student-driven ideas so pioneering. Braun notes that students’ attitudes toward 3D printing are diverse: “Some students initially see 3D printing as a ‘neutral’ tool for realizing complex geometries. Others use it as a form of expression, as a medium for design experimentation, or as a critical counterpart.” In this way, additive manufacturing at Bauhaus University Weimar is not just a new technology but a driver of interdisciplinary education, innovative ideas, and diverse research.

The university also offers beginner courses in 3D printing, as well as advanced courses in CAD modeling, parametric design, and 3D printing. Niklas Hamann, a doctoral candidate at Bauhaus University Weimar, supervises these courses and researches customized 3D printing solutions for orthotics and their potential impact on design. His work was recognized in the 3D Pioneers Challenge 2017, where he won in the MedTech category with his RIG3D project.

One Technology, Different Perspectives

3D printing at Bauhaus University Weimar is far more than just a technical tool; it is simultaneously a field for experimentation, a teaching medium, and a design challenge. Whether in the development of innovative concrete recipes or in the critical reflection on algorithmic design processes, the understanding of fabrication at Bauhaus University Weimar is both shaped by 3D printing and, in turn, continuously questioned and redefined by researchers and students. True to the historical Bauhaus ethos, which once united art, craft, and industry, designers, artists, civil engineers, architects, and others strive to explore fundamental questions about design processes, production cultures, and creative responsibility.

We would like to thank Prof. Dr. Göbel, Dr. Braun, and Mr. Hamann for making this article possible! For more information on the projects and research of our interviewees, click HERE (Prof. Dr. Luise Göbel), HERE (Dr. Michael Braun), and HERE (Niklas Hamann).

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Cover image: Bauhaus University Weimar