Rotterdam-based Studio RAP has made waves quite literally, completing Blue Voyage, an installation featuring two monumental 3D printed ceramic walls. The innovative design was created for the entrance lobby of the new Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab hotel in Dubai. High up at nearly 19 feet (around 6 meters) and stretching 30 feet (around 9 meters) long, the two walls flank the main entrance, forming a sculptural gateway that guides visitors indoors.
The project draws inspiration directly from the nearby Gulf. The ceramic surfaces flow in wave-like curves, with patterns that shift in density and depth as guests move past them. Each surface is made of layered smooth lines that respond to changes in both daylight and interior lighting. As reported by designboom, the studio sought to evoke “the rhythm and motion of water, captured in architectural form.”
To leave no detail unseen, Studio RAP produced approximately 900 unique ceramic tiles, each parametrically designed and 3D printed at their own facility in Rotterdam. The fabrication process combined individual variation with precise alignment: even the corner tiles were designed to let the patterns wrap seamlessly around edges, keeping continuity and visual flow. According to designboom, the result is “a spatial experience that rewards close, tactile engagement as much as it impresses from afar.”
This project showcases one of the largest 3D printed ceramic architectural installations created to date. It also channels Studio RAP’s ongoing research into how computational design and digital fabrication can expand what can be done with ceramics structurally and aesthetically.
A unique blend of traditional material craft and next-gen robotics and algorithmic design, Blue Voyage marks a massive shift in architectural finishes – from repetitive surfaces to complex, expressive forms produced with advanced 3D printing technology.
