Wood-Waste Strong Floor Panels

We know the problem

Researchers have worked closely with the team at SHoP Architects to create what could be a potential alternative to steel and concrete with the SM2ART Nfloor cassette panel. It is a progressive development in structural floor material as it is entirely crafted from bioplastic and wood flour. These panels are made using 3D printing technology at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Lab and University of Maine.

Principal at SHoP, Jogn Cerone shares the design process with Dezeen, noting "We saw the precedent in the aerospace industry, where they introduce new technologies within small parts and expand outward to the whole. We applied that principle by isolating a building system product — a light-gauge steel floor cassette assembly — from an existing supply-chain partner to benchmark its replacement with a single solid-state, printed, bio-based part."