PhD opening in 3D printed stone for heritage buildings

ETH Zurich; Zürich; On-site; CHF 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working hours

Home office options

Job summary

ETH Zurich's Chair for Digital Building Technologies invites a PhD candidate to design, build, and commission a laboratory-scale powder-bed printer with dual feeds. You will develop the system as a modular research instrument and print stone replacement parts for heritage buildings.

You will investigate graded deposition to tailor material behavior, collaborate with a materials science group, publish at conferences, and contribute to teaching through supervision of student projects.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in architecture or a closely related discipline.
• Proven competence in building fabrication equipment and mechanical design.
• Fluent in English; conversational German is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and commission a laboratory-scale powder-bed printer.
• Produce stone replacement parts for heritage buildings.
• Develop tectonic strategies for connecting printed parts to existing structures.
• Publish in leading venues and contribute to teaching.

Skills

Digital fabrication

Computational design

Mechanical design

Prototyping

Electronics

Sensing

Control software

English fluency

German knowledge

Communication skills

Education

Master’s degree in architecture or related discipline

Tools

Powder-bed printing

Laboratory equipment assembly

Job description

PhD opening in 3D printed stone for heritage buildings

100%, Zurich, fixed-term

Project background

Stone is among the oldest building materials, and among the least controllable: its properties are found in the quarry, not designed. Restoration exposes this limitation acutely. A replacement part must be compatible with the original and must enter a dialogue with a structure that has aged for centuries. With historic quarries largely exhausted, selecting and carving natural blocks falls short on every one of these counts.

This project pursues a different premise: that the material properties of stone can become a design medium. The powder-bed printing platform developed at the chair separates aggregates, powder binders, and liquid activators, placing each under independent control during fabrication. The next step, and the technical core of this doctorate, is to vary these constituents within a single piece. A dual powder feed and a dual liquid feed will allow composition, porosity, and appearance to be graded continuously across a printed element, turning a fabrication process into an instrument for specifying material behavior point by point. The machine and the artifacts it produces will be developed together, each iteration informing the next.

The project is conducted jointly with a materials science group investigating deterioration mechanisms of particular concern to sandstones, whose research depends on printed samples with precisely engineered defects and gradients. The capabilities established at the laboratory scale are intended to be transferred to the chair’s architectural-scale printer, where graded deposition opens a new design space for façade systems.

Job description

• You will design, build, and commission a laboratory‑scale powder‑bed printer with dual powder and dual liquid feeds, derived from the chair’s architectural‑scale system and conceived as a modular research instrument, to be reconfigured as the printed work poses new questions to the machine
• You will use it to produce stone replacement parts for heritage buildings, elements that satisfy the compatibility requirements of conservation practice while entering a dialogue with the historic fabric they join
• You will develop tectonic strategies for connecting printed parts to the existing structure, and investigate through making how a printed element addresses the surface it meets, with graded color, texture, and printed veining among the means available
• Your printed samples will additionally serve the deterioration research of the partner chair, whose findings will in turn inform the development of the printing process
• You will publish in leading venues, present at international conferences, and contribute to teaching through the supervision of semester and master’s projects

Profile

• We seek a candidate with a strong background, and ideally a demonstrated body of work, in digital fabrication, and the ambition to treat material behavior as a subject of design research
• You hold a Master’s degree in architecture, or in a closely related discipline, combined with substantial design work
• You have genuine competence in building fabrication equipment: the printer will be constructed and repeatedly modified by you, so proficiency in mechanical design and prototyping is essential, and experience with electronics, sensing, or control software is a strong asset
• You are fluent in computational design and experienced in carrying work across the threshold between digital model and physical result
• An interest in the behavior of stone is welcome; its scientific characterization lies with the partner group
• An excellent oral and written level of English is essential; conversational knowledge of German is an advantage
• As the project involves collaboration between research groups and field practitioners, strong communication skills and a genuinely collaborative disposition are essential

We offer

The Chair for Digital Building Technologies within the Institute of Technology in Architecture conducts research at the intersection of computational design, materials, and construction‑scale fabrication. Over more than a decade, the group has developed and operated powder‑bed and extrusion‑based printing systems at architectural scale, with built results including the tallest 3D‑printed structures in the world. In‑house expertise in mechanical design, electronics and software, together with complete workshop and prototyping infrastructure, allows research ideas to move directly from concept to machine to printed artifact, and doctoral researchers are given considerable latitude in shaping that trajectory. Our highly diverse and international group offers extensive networks within ETH and internationally. We are committed to diversity by offering flexible working hours, home office options, and other measures to ensure team members can perform their roles effectively.

We value diversity and sustainability

In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us – we consistently working towards a climate‑neutral future.

Curious? So are we.

About ETH Zürich

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education, cutting‑edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe, yet forging connections all over the world, we work together to develop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.