The Meeting Factory, Teuge | World first: 3D printer builds ideal meeting venue

On Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, students from De Zaaier elementary school in Teuge placed a new sign on the ground by way of commencement ceremony a time capsule in the cavity of The Meeting Factory's first 3D concrete printed wall. The time capsule contains letters addressed to the future and will take effect when the building is recycled in the future.

The Meeting Factory is Europe's first 3D printed commercially commissioned building. The design is by Pim van Wylick of The Form Foundation. Under the motto "Awaken to a new world," Marjo and Arvid Prigge of De Slaapfabriek have developed a totally new vision of training and meetings. They dreamed of an additional meeting venue but did not want to compromise on the purpose and quality of this space for the design.

By opting for 3D concrete printing, completely free construction can be done in round and curved shapes that directly meet the wishes of the users. At the same time, Arvid Prigge of Centre4Moods has developed a unique meeting concept for De Vergaderfabriek by using wall-filling film images, scents and sound. Together, Arvid and Marjo are shaping an entirely new way of training and holding meetings that connects directly to how our brains work.

The Meeting Factory is the first location in Europe where people can experience and try out this concept. Both the form and content of the building create a new experience of space and senses.

The first wall (Image: The Meeting Factory).

Building printing within ten days
The Meeting Factory is Europe's first commercial 3D concrete printed building. The Meeting Factory will be the epitome of clean and revolutionary, future building technology that will initiate major changes in construction and our society. Says Berry Hendriks of CyBe, "The new technology will bring about a lot and contribute to confidence in 3D printed buildings, both within and outside the Netherlands." The Meeting Factory will be printed on site in less than ten days.

Reduction of material waste
Engineering firm Witteveen+Bos has joined the consortium as a structural engineer and expert by experience in the field of 3D concrete printing. Hans Laagland and Marijn Bruurs (Structural Engineer) on the advantages of this technique: "It's great to see where this all leads, because printing technology is much broader and has the potential to achieve enormous sustainability. Think of the reuse of materials, the enormous reduction of material waste or the alternating use of strong and weaker concrete in a construction."

Between dream and deed
The initiators of De Vergaderfabriek are Marjo and Arvid Prigge. Ten years ago they started De Slaapfabriek in Teuge. The location was increasingly used for meetings and training so the idea arose to build De Vergaderfabriek for the business market. Because they really wanted to make that something special, the idea was entered into The Dutch Construction Hackathon May 2016 in Oss. During this hackathon, the foundations were laid for the dream they are now going to realize. Together with consulting firm Revelating, a team of companies was assembled with the top of the Dutch 3D printing and construction industry, namely: Cybe, The Form Foundation, Witteveen+Bos, Elma Media, Lexence Advocaten and Revelating. Project leader Hugo Jager: "The process is a sequence of trying, analyzing and adapting. Our goal is: to prove that 3D printing is technically and economically feasible."

New way of meeting
It will be an experiential environment for training and meetings, in which image, smell and sound will play a crucial role. Arvid Prigge and Marjo Prigge: "We saw that it was time for a new meeting concept with which we not only provide individual guests, groups and teams with an unforgettable experience, but also create an environment in which people can work more pleasantly and effectively. The Meeting Factory is the first location in Europe where people can experience and try out this new working environment." 

Text | The Meeting Factory  Image | The Formfoundation