Studio RAP to 3D Print Ceramic Columns for Student Housing

• A nearly 300-year-old gingko tree, believed to be the first of its kind cultivated outside Asia, is about to inspire one of the most architecturally distinctive student housing projects in the Netherlands.  Rotterdam-based Studio RAP has been commissioned to design and 3D print hundreds of custom ceramic tiles for the Gingko Complex in Utrecht, cladding…

A nearly 300-year-old gingko tree, believed to be the first of its kind cultivated outside Asia, is about to inspire one of the most architecturally distinctive student housing projects in the Netherlands. Rotterdam-based Studio RAP has been commissioned to design and 3D print hundreds of custom ceramic tiles for the Gingko Complex in Utrecht, cladding three monumental columns in a leaf-inspired pattern finished in warm golden glaze. The project, developed by Klunder Architecten and built by Heijmans for SSH Student Housing, is expected to open in 2029 and will house 483 students. Gingko-Inspired Ceramic Columns. Image via Studio RAP. The Project At the heart of the complex is a central public passageway leading to a shared courtyard, an architectural moment anchored by three columns t