LAMÁQUINA 3D‑Printed Tiles Clad Sagrada Família Tower with 1,686 Modules, 40% Recycled

LAMÁQUINA’s robotic 3D‑printed ceramic tiles have been installed as the white glazed cladding that crowns the Tower of Jesus Christ at Barcelona’s Sagrada Família, forming the tower’s exterior skin that LinkedIn notes crowns the skyline at 172.5 meters. WASP documentation states that LAMÁQUINA engineered and produced 1,686 modular clay components in just three months, and that the modules used 40% recycled material.

The project avoided conventional casting and hand finishing in favor of automated design and fabrication. VoxelMatters described the workflow as one where, "Rather than using conventional casting or hand‑finishing methods, the tiles were designed, fabricated, and optimized through code‑driven processes paired with ceramic production techniques," enabling consistent quality and structural precision across hundreds of individual components.

Production combined robotic arm extrusion and WASP’s production hardware. 3dwasp/WASP materials specify that the modules were created "using WASP’s clay 3D printing extrusion technology, both with a Robotic Arm and through the WASP 40100 Production," and that the WASP 40100 Production System enabled continuous output by "enabling 24/7 printing thanks to its automatic idle roller." Image captions and project credits show Robotic Arm 3D printing with the LDM WASP XL Extruder and process photos credited © LAMÁQUINA, 2024.

Heritage constraints and Gaudí’s vocabulary were central to the brief. VoxelMatters reports the tiles were engineered to withstand Barcelona’s climate and "integrate seamlessly into Gaudí’s original architectural language, which relied heavily on curved surfaces, organic forms, and ceramic ornamentation." 3dwasp/WASP notes the robotic ceramic printing approach was used to meet design requirements while adhering to conservation constraints, and that printed modules included technical features such as perforations for cables and signage to integrate with existing construction systems.

LAMÁQUINA credited collaborators and reflected on the project in social posts. The company thanked Ceramica Cumella for collaboration and Moritz Begle wrote on LinkedIn, "To see that cross rise knowing that the tiles we built with code, clay, and robots are permanently part of this monument, is something I cannot fully put into words. ... Some projects are just jobs. This one is history." LinkedIn also places the tower at 172.5 meters and highlights the crown as the Cross of Jesus Christ.

VoxelMatters characterizes the effort as a milestone, stating, "The project conducted by LAMÁQUINA, however, marks the first time that final parts are 3D printed and used in the church’s construction." The tiles are described as now permanently integrated into the basilica’s construction history while the Sagrada Família continues interior work toward projected completion in the coming years.

LAMÁQUINA’s prior 2024 installations at the Natural History Museum, London, demonstrate the team’s modular and site‑sensitive approach, where designs were systematized into modules and dry‑assembled using biopolymer joints. Photo credit for on‑site imagery accompanying coverage is listed as Photo of Davide Sher. Remaining specifics to confirm include exact production calendar dates, the glazing and firing workflow, and Sagrada Família installation timestamps, but the project already sets a practical precedent for combining robotic fabrication and traditional ceramics in active heritage construction.