With the new "Gelateria" in Mulegns, the collaboration between Origen, ETH Zurich and the UFFER GROUP is entering the next round. A very special wooden ice cream parlor has found its place next to the impressive white tower of Mulegns - the tallest 3D-printed building in the world.

Students of the Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture and Digital Fabrication (MAS ETHDFAB) designed an experimental ice cream parlor that combines traditional building forms with innovative manufacturing.

Externally, the building, clad in a translucent shell, echoes the familiar silhouette of a historic stable. Locally sourced and reused solid wood was used for the supporting structure - including, for the most part, elements that previously served as the backdrop for last year's open-air stage in Lantsch for Origen. The timber construction planning and site management was carried out by our INVIAS team, while the structure was produced and prefabricated at the UFFER GROUP factory in Savognin. BATTAGLIA Bau AG and UFFER Holz AG were responsible for the master builder work. The lightweight yet stable wooden structure unfolds in a faceted geometry reminiscent of origami and is enclosed in a semi-transparent shell.

Inside, a colorful, 3D-printed dome made of recycled plastic, manufactured using a robot-assisted extrusion process in the Robotic Fabrication Lab at ETH Zurich, is a surprising sight. Despite covering an area of over 250 m², the ultra-light structure weighs less than a ton and is designed to be completely dismantled and recycled.

The project stands for a future-oriented vision of sustainable architecture in which reused wood and recyclable plastic are specifically combined. The structure, which can be completely dismantled, is consistently designed with the circular concept in mind: Its wooden elements can be reassembled or reused, and the plastic dome can be shredded and printed in new shapes.

A successful example of contemporary, sustainable building culture.

Photos: Stefan Kaiser