The SPI staircase is the world's first structure delivered by Selective Paste Intrusion (SPI). SPI is a novel 3d-printing method allowing for the printing of freeform geometries without the need for any kind of formwork. Intentionally rough from the outside, the inside of the staircase is where the novel approach to the production of concrete staircases reveals its benefits. All guides and fixings for the integration of steps made from bent steel panels are 3d-printed into the structure and thus enable a swift installation on-site.
Scawo3d, located in the Sarentino Valley in South Tyrol, develops state-of-the-art technologies for the production of concrete staircases. Scawo stands for "Scale Wohlgemuth" - Italian for "Staircases Wohlgemuth" - after the inventor and owner Kurt Wohlgemuth and is a patented technology for customizing concrete staircases from prefabricated formwork.
In 2021, a new patent has been submitted for the world's first print head for printing cement paste into a bed of concrete aggregate allowing for any freeform to be printed and resulting in a novel method for additive manufacturing called Selective Paste Intrusion (SPI).
