earthen sound barriers
the company
a robotic approach to earthen construction
Terrestrial is a start-up focusing on the development of earthen acoustic barriers, a project poised to redefine the landscape, by working towards automated earthen construction at an infrastructural scale. The company explores the compounded merit of robotic fabrication and novel approaches to earthen construction.
Rather than compacting earth in a shuttering mould, the company utilises earthen 3d printing at high volumes resulting in a circular, scalable and free-form product. The construction method enables the realisation of complex geometries with great design flexibility, optimising their performance through parametric design.
Terrestrials robotic spraying techniques for creating earthen noise barriers offer acoustic environmental and structural performances that excel those of traditional barriers.
circular
Earth is a sustainable and renewable resource that can be repurposed.
scalable
Through the use of robotics, earthen construction can be taken to a larger scale.
free-form
Robotics enable us to design complex and optimised geometries.
circularity
the stone cycle
Terrestrials robotic spraying presents a poetic parallel of the natural rock cycle, using pressure not in geological steps but momentarily, rapidly compacting earth, gravel and clay into architectural structures. Building with earthen materials implies a rejection of the extractive and unsustainable constructions.
ecological footprint reduction
noise reduction
sound absorption
steel reinforcement
results
reducing noise and footprint
Terrestrial has joined the 'Innovatiepartnerschap Duurzame Geluiddschermen' (IPDG), recently launched by ProRail. This innovative partnership aims at developing sustainable noise barriers for railways.
In close collaboration with Summum Engineering, Terrestrial developed a prototype that surpasses acoustic requirements (reducing noise by 48 dB) and structural standards while drastically reducing its Environmental Cost Index (ECI) by 89% , in comparison to a traditional noise barrier.
The reduction in ECI is achieved by parametrically designing a geometry that eliminates the need for reinforcement, opting for a geocell-reinforced shallow foundation, and choosing for earth as a building material, which has a relatively low environmental impact.
development
the innovation continues
Terrestrial is now developing a 130 m long prototype wall for IPDG's third phase.
Partnering with Van de Beeten and Mavro, we aim to enhance scalability and establish a more sustainable,
waste-free material stream.