Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union (TVFCU), a not-for-profit financial cooperative, has recently celebrated the completion of its 3D printed building facade for its 20th branch.

The construction is the chef-d’oeuvre of Branch Technology and Construction Consultants. Construction Consultants, headquartered in Chattanooga, is a design and build specialist. Branch Technology is the company behind the materialisation of the project. The advanced manufacturing company designs and creates next-generation building systems utilizing construction-scale robotic 3D printing.

The teams used Branch Technology’s patented 3D printing process called Cellular Fabrication, C-Fab® on TVFCU’s new Southside Branch, located at 125 West 20th Street in Chattanooga.

“The undulating facade is patterned to identify entrances and expand around the building’s curvature, serving as wayfinding for visitors,” said John McCabe, advanced concepts team and director of communications at Branch Technology. “Varying degrees of curvature in the sinuous facade pattern nod to TVFCU’s recognizable wave logo. This project is a staple of design freedom offering a one-of-a-kind product outside the literal box of repetitive, conventional construction and facade manufacturing.”

The design took more than a year of planning and collaboration from not only Branch Technology, Construction Consultants, but also BACE Structural and River Street Architects. With the design created, they began 3D printing the structure.

Cellular Fabrication, C-Fab® is a unique printing method that allows material to solidify in open space, creating a matrix of polymer in virtually any shape. Branch Technology brings unprecedented design freedom and resource stewardship to next-generation wall systems.

The Cellular Fabrication (C-Fab®) Process stands out through its ability to create volumetric geometries with 20X less material than traditional layered-deposition techniques while also maximizing structural capacity through geometric optimization.

The facade highlights the beauty of Chattanooga’s natural surroundings and incorporates TVFCU’s iconic wave branding into the design. To do so, the facade employs a 3D-printed structure to unlock design freedom while utilizing material composites that complement each other to create a robust, insulative, and lightweight envelope.

While the finishing touches on the branch exterior will soon be completed, construction will continue on the branch’s interior. TVFCU plans to open the Southside Branch in late spring 2021.

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