Case Study: Archi.des achieves stunning, high-detail scale models for Spa renovation with Materialise 3D Printing

A Refreshing Spa Retreat. designed by Archi.des, printed by Materialise

Archi.des, a Belgian design and consulting firm, faced the challenge of producing highly detailed scale models and clearer build plans for a spa renovation in Spa. They partnered with Materialise to leverage Additive Manufacturing and Materialise’s engineering services — using Magics for file preparation and 3D printing (Laser Sintering and Stereolithography) — to achieve finer detail, better client communication, and faster, more cost‑effective iteration than traditional hand-made models.

Materialise conditioned and “shrink wrapped” the files, cut out glass features, and printed the building components via Laser Sintering while the transparent elements were produced on a Stereolithography machine; the model was then finished, assembled, and painted by Archi.des. The result was a high‑quality, on‑time scale model that improved proportion and technical clarity for earlier conflict resolution, reduced time and investment versus manual models, and left Archi.des calling Materialise their preferred 3D‑printing partner.

Archi.des

Bert Buytaert

Architectural and Concept Designer