Tor Alva, a modular 3D‑printed concrete tower designed for disassembly and reuse, standing on the Julier Pass in the Swiss Alps.
Mulegns, Julier Pass, Swiss Alps, August 13, 2025
Tor Alva, also called the White Tower, is a 30‑metre, four‑storey modular tower built with robotic 3D printing of hollow concrete columns. Designed and fabricated using coordinated robot arms, a fast‑hardening soft concrete mix and embedded reinforcement, the structure uses dry connections and removable fastenings so it can be disassembled and re‑erected elsewhere. The tower houses a vaulted top‑floor concert space and twisting interior rooms, and was developed with industry partners to explore circular construction, lower lifetime waste and strategies to extend service life despite material trade‑offs in embodied carbon.
A new landmark named Tor Alva — also called the White Tower — was unveiled on 20 May 2025 on the Julier Pass in Mulegns, Switzerland. Standing about 30 metres tall including its base, the structure is a four‑storey modular tower and is described by its developers as the world’s tallest 3D‑printed concrete tower. From 23 May 2025 the tower opened daily for guided tours, and staged performances are planned to begin in July 2025.
The project is a research-driven cultural installation built for a local cultural foundation and designed to host art, music and theater. It was developed and built as a proof of concept that fuses robotic fabrication, structural engineering and materials science. Its makers emphasize that the tower’s parts are modular and can be disassembled and re‑erected elsewhere, aligning the work with circular building ideas.
Tor Alva’s load‑bearing columns were produced by a coordinated, two‑robot process. One robotic arm extruded a soft, fine‑grain concrete in thin layers to form hollow, twisting columns without traditional formwork. A second robot placed reinforcement between layers as the printing progressed. The team embedded horizontal stainless steel rings during printing, then added vertical rods after printing and filled their cavities with self‑compacting mortar. The tower’s upper parts use prestressed rods to reduce cracking. Stainless steel was chosen for corrosion resistance and durability.
Printing began with the columns on 1 February 2024. The first eight lower‑floor columns were printed at a university lab and later moved to the site; these 3D‑printed columns were assembled on site in May 2024. The printed columns are hollow, joint‑based and twist around internal rooms, creating a branching geometry that wraps the interior spaces.
The tower was digitally designed using parametric scripts so the model could be adjusted and simulated within the limits of robotic printers. The modular components use dry connections and prestressed joints; removable screws connect parts rather than adhesives, so pieces can be dismantled and reused. The structure is expected to remain in Mulegns for about five years and can be moved and reconstructed elsewhere afterward.
Inside, the columns form abstract, atmospheric rooms. The tower includes vertical stairs and a vaulted top‑floor concert venue with views over the Julier valley. The façade is windowless and bears a criss‑cross texture from the layered printing process. The tower is lit at night and can change its color for events.
The cultural foundation commissioned the work. The project was led by a technical university and involved multiple research groups, including digital building technologies, structural analysis and building materials teams. Industry partners and private donors supported the effort, along with a regional community. Two university spin‑offs also took part in the development. The initiative received backing from a university foundation and was developed as part of a national center focused on digital fabrication.
The team engineered a quick‑hardening fine‑grain concrete with a custom additive to allow fast layer stacking without conventional molds. While the printed concrete enabled mass savings and less cement use in some parts, project researchers noted the special concrete mix has a higher embodied footprint than standard mixes. To address this, the build includes measures to improve durability, accelerate natural carbonation so the material can reabsorb atmospheric CO₂ over time, and enable component reuse to reduce lifetime carbon.
The tower is reported to be the first multi‑storey building whose load‑bearing columns were fully 3D printed with reinforcement added as part of the robotic workflow. The reinforcement approach is hybrid: embedded horizontal rings during printing, vertical rods fitted after printing, and prestressed rods in the upper levels to boost crack resistance.
Construction and printing activities ran through 2024 and 2025. The project was completed in May 2025 and opened for guided visits on 23 May. Performances will start in July. The tower’s temporary placement on the Julier Pass is planned for around five years, after which it may be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere.
The tower is one of several recent research projects using robot‑driven printing, reusable formwork and novel materials. Related work includes development of reusable, folding formwork systems that cut concrete and steel use and other printing methods that aim to reduce reliance on cement or use local excavated materials. Together, these projects explore how automation, computational design and new mixtures can reshape construction while balancing environmental tradeoffs.
The project drew support from regional community groups, private donors, research funds and industry partners in construction chemicals and building materials. Several photographers documented the work and images were published with the project materials.
The tower opened for guided tours from 23 May 2025 and is available daily for visitors during the planned display period.
The tower measures about 30 metres in height including its base and has four storeys.
Yes. It is designed as a modular structure with removable screw connections so components can be dismantled and re‑erected elsewhere; it is planned to remain on the site for roughly five years before potential relocation.
The tower used a coordinated two‑robot printing process that combined layer‑by‑layer extrusion of soft concrete with in‑process placement of reinforcement. The columns are hollow, printed without traditional formwork, and include hybrid reinforcement strategies and prestressing in upper sections.
The team aimed to reduce material mass and enable reuse, and included design measures to boost durability and accelerate concrete carbonation. However, the specialized concrete mix has a higher initial carbon footprint than some standard mixes, and the team has noted tradeoffs and mitigation steps.
Staged performances are planned to begin in July 2025.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Project name | Tor Alva (the White Tower) |
| Location | Mulegns, Julier Pass, Swiss Alps |
| Height | About 30 metres (including base) |
| Program | Four storeys; vaulted concert venue on top floor; vertical stairs |
| Construction method | Two‑robot 3D printing: concrete extrusion + in‑process reinforcement placement |
| Materials | Soft fine‑grain concrete with custom additive; stainless steel rings and rods; self‑compacting mortar for rod cavities |
| Modularity & reuse | Designed for disassembly with removable screws, dry connections and prestressed joints |
| Open to public | Guided tours daily from 23 May 2025; performances from July 2025 |
| Planned site duration | Approximately five years, with option to dismantle and relocate |
| Completion | May 2025 |
| Key technical aims | Robotic fabrication, embedded reinforcement, material efficiency, circular reuse, accelerated carbonation |
Photographic documentation and image credits were provided by project photographers and team members who recorded the process and finished work.
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