3D Printing Stereotomy: Two Case Studies

Stereotomy – also known as “the art of cutting solids” – is a discipline that exploits rules of descriptive geometry to optimize the ashlars of a vaulted space, considering aesthetic, static and functional matters. Stereotomy and its innovation through the use of CNC machines have been investigated at the Polytechnic of Bari for twenty years. Even if this discipline is historically associated to the use of stone, the advent of 3D printing is stimulating research towards new possibilities and new directions. This paper aims to present two case studies, consisting of two different prototypes of 3D printed stereotomy. The first one is a portion of a barrel vault composed of osteomorphic hollow blocks, printed using clay. The design process was inspired both by the ancient constructive system of fictile caroselli and by the shape of the Truchet’s ashlars. The second case study deals with the construction of a real scale tripod, composed of hollow ashlars printed using PLA.