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This summer, European energy company E.ON opened a new office at the historic Tacheles art center in Berlin. Dubbed the House of New Energy, the new location is no ordinary business site: it features interactive exhibition space that invites the public to come learn about the energy systems of the past and future with a focus on electrification, digitization, and flexibility. The innovative space is designed in a dynamic way, with various artefacts and curiosities on display and a unique setting comprising custom 3D printed walls made by Aectual.
Based in Amsterdam, Aectual specializes in creating custom architectural installations and furniture using large-scale 3D printing. The company, which has worked with high-profile customers like Tiffany & Co., Hermès, BOSS, and more, operates based on a circular business model, in which it uses recycled materials and in turn can recycle all its 3D prints when they are no longer needed.
As the company says: “Commercial interiors are changed every five to seven years and often faster, making interior changes a perpetual waste production and likely the largest carbon creator, next to concrete and steel in the AEC industry. We work with recycled waste-streams and plant-based materials, creating no waste in the process, and after use, all products can be taken back and shredded into new material which we directly re-print into new products again.”
For the House of New Energy, Aectual worked with E.ON to create a unique 3D printed wall panel system inspired by the dot in the energy company’s logo. The shape of the dot was blown up and turned into a three-dimensional shape, which was repeated as a pattern to create a sort of honeycomb effect. According to Aectual, the pattern creates a continuous surface that is evocative of “networks, cables, and flowing energy systems.”
Leveraging its large-scale 3D printing technology, Aectual 3D printed a series of large panels specially designed to fit the space. These panels, including straight and curved structures, were ultimately assembled to create a seamless textured wall. Aectual used a recycled plastic for the project which was derived from consumer waste. The material was dyed grey to match E.ON’s branding.
In line with its circular ethos, once the House of Energy installation is finished or is being updated, the 3D printed wall panels can be disassembled and recycled into new material for other Aectual products.
“Our collaboration with E.ON demonstrates how circular design, digital manufacturing, and brand identity can come together in one architectural system,” commented Hedwig Heinsman, co-founder of Aectual. “By transforming recycled waste into a custom design language that reflects E.ON’s visual identity, we create interiors that are both expressive and circular. The system is designed to evolve over time, allowing elements to be reprinted and reinterpreted for future applications.”
The 3D printed walls and the rest of the House of New Energy can be visited for free Mondays to Saturdays from 10am to 6pm at AM TACHELES, Friedrichstraße 110.