Vitali Andrei Stanila

My interest lies in marrying the advancements of digital fabrication with traditional materials such as clay, and how this can provide a new form of industry in postindustrial landscapes, where extractive processes have left behind permanently altered landscapes.

Such a site lies in Ocna Mures, Romania, where rock salt has been industrially extracted since the mid-18th century. At present, the underground mines have been naturally replaced by a series of salt lakes, and continuous land and salt erosion threaten to wipe off more than 500 dwellings. The local council provides a set of materials for self-built housing to those affected by this condition. However what is supplied only allows for undersized and characterless homes.

As an alternative to the inadequate building system provided by the local authorities, I’m proposing to reinstate the disused existing clay pit on site and explore the possibilities of prototyping 3D printed clay. Coiled layer by layer with the aid of a six axis robotic arm, lightweight ceramic blocks can be fabricated on site. By implementing digital manufacturing technologies in situ, the potential of clay as building material is maximized and the local community can afford homes of a unique nature.