Anti-Ruin, a modular 3D printed installation made from marble dust, is on display at the 19th Venice Biennale of Architecture, taking place from May to November 2025. Designed by London-based studio OZRUH and fabricated in collaboration with researchers from ETH Zurich, the project explores adaptive architecture through a system of reconfigurable stone blocks. It is part of a broader wave of experimental 3D printed works featured at this year’s international exhibition.
The installation consists of 12 large blocks made from marble dust, a quarrying byproduct sourced from the Lasa Marmo Quarry in South Tyrol, Italy. Using binder jetting technology developed at ETH Zurich by Dr. Pietro Odaglia, Senior Researcher at DBT, with support from Christian Peterhans, Assistant at DBT, and Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger, Chair of Digital Building Technologies at ETH Zurich, the dust was turned into printable modules. These were assembled into a three-meter-high, gate-like form.
Modularity and Material Circularity in Practice
Inspired by Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s theories on randomness and disorder, Anti-Ruin seeks to invert the perceived fragility of architecture. Rather than pursuing permanence or completion, the project embraces entropy and ongoing transformation. Each component of the structure contributes to an open-ended whole—allowing for mutation, subtraction, and reuse.
The structure, engineered by Danae Polyviou, Structural Engineer, formDP, features a freestanding, asymmetrical design that reinforces the project’s conceptual focus on non-linearity and adaptive potential. Its modular construction enables disassembly and reconfiguration, offering a response to evolving spatial or functional needs.
From a materials perspective, Anti-Ruin proposes an alternative to traditional concrete by upcycling waste and reducing environmental impact. The same binder jetting method can be adapted to other byproducts like crushed brick or demolition debris, aligning with principles of circular construction and low-carbon design.
Other 3D Printing Highlights at the Biennale
Anti-Ruin is one of several installations at the 2025 Biennale that explore 3D printing’s role in architectural experimentation. Italian architecture and design firm Mario Cucinella Architects (MCA) unveiled A Flower in San Servolo, a 3D printed amphitheater on Venice’s San Servolo Island. Developed with San Servolo srl, the publicly managed organization overseeing the site, the modular structure is intended for performances, public gatherings, and educational use.
Meanwhile, WASP, an Italian manufacturer of large-scale 3D printing systems for sustainable construction, partnered with Columbia University’s Natural Materials Lab to create “Earthen Rituals,” a clay-based installation displayed in the Arsenale’s “Natural” section of the Biennale. The research team used WASP’s 40100 LDM ceramic 3D printer and the 3MT LDM system to produce hundreds of earth tiles made from a mixture of construction waste soils and agricultural by-products. The process involved a “kitchen approach” to material formulation and incorporated techniques such as rammed earth, weaving, basketry, and figurine-making. The project team included graduate assistants from Columbia University’s GSAPP and received technical support from WASP’s Residency Program.
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Featured image shows ANTI-RUIN Phase 1. Photo via OZRUH.
