OpenStructures Water Boiler by Unfold

Istanbul Design BiennialBelgian design studio Unfold used open source components including a filter made of 3D printed ceramic to build this water boiler and purifier, which could be used in the developing world.

OpenStructures WaterBoiler by Unfold

The machine was first devised by designer Jesse Howard in collaboration with Thomas Lommée of Intrastructures, a design studio that makes and uses components from the OpenStructures open source construction project. Read more about the OpenStructures system in our earlier story.

Unfold developed the original design by replacing its plastic bottle with a glass bottle, which has been cut in half to hold the water filter.

OpenStructures WaterBoiler by Unfold

The ceramic water filter has extruded pockets filled with activated carbon, which acts as a natural purification device.

We recently reported on another Unfold project presented in Istanbul, which explored how 3D printed objects can be as unique as handmade ones.

See all our stories about Unfold »
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Here’s some more information about the project:


The OpenStructures WaterBoiler, originally designed and composed by Jesse Howard in collaboration with Thomas Lommée, was passed on to the Antwerp based design studio Unfold.

The WaterBoiler is based on the OpenStructures design principles. In Unfold’s adaptation, the water recipient, a salvaged, PET bottle, was replaced by a cut-through glass bottle that holds a ceramic water filter 3D printed using one of the machines that they developed. It further contains OS compatible parts designed by Fabio Lorefice (3D printed adaptor piece).

The water filter is a prototype, part of a recently started research project on the potential benefits of ceramic 3D printing for the production of water filters in the developing world.

The post OpenStructures Water Boiler
by Unfold
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