Studio RAP's 'Powerwall': 322 3D-Printed Ceramic Tiles Transform a Dutch Transformer Station
Tile Wars · trends · · Tile Wars
Studio RAP has clad a TenneT transformer station in Beverwijk with an 8×5 m facade made of 322 unique 3D-printed ceramic tiles, turning critical infrastructure into public architecture.
Rotterdam-based Studio RAP has unveiled ''Powerwall'', an 8 by 5 meter facade composed of 322 unique 3D-printed ceramic tiles installed at a TenneT transformer station in Beverwijk, the Netherlands.
Designed by Lucas ter Hall and Wessel van Beerendonk, the project turns a piece of critical energy infrastructure into a public architectural gesture. Each ceramic component was robotically 3D-printed at the studio''s New Delft Blue / Ceramic House workshop and finished with a turquoise translucent glaze that shifts appearance with the light.
The tiles are parametrically designed so their relief pattern responds to the wall''s geometry, creating a rippling surface that references both Dutch ceramic tradition and contemporary computational craft. The modular system allowed the team to fabricate all 322 unique pieces without any repetition while keeping installation on site fast and precise.
''Powerwall'' expands Studio RAP''s ongoing exploration of how 3D-printed ceramics can transform everyday and industrial buildings — from housing facades to infrastructure — into cultural objects that belong to the public realm.