The “Droneport” vault construction at the Norman Foster Foundation Pavilion using “Durabric” compressed earth tiles developed by LafargeHolcim. A prototype structure was installed at the Architecture Biennale, Venice from 2016 until 2020. The network aims to interconnect communities in developing countries that lack appropriate road or rail networks, enabling urgent medical supplies and cargo to be delivered quickly and cost-effectively.

The “Droneport” vault construction at the Norman Foster Foundation Pavilion using “Durabric” compressed earth tiles developed by LafargeHolcim a few days prior to the opening of the 15th International Architecture Biennale in Venice.

“The Droneport project is about doing more with less, capitalising on the recent advancements in drone technology – something that is usually associated with war and hostilities – to make an immediate life-saving impact in Africa.” – Norman Foster.

The construction of the prototype Droneport shell has been made possible by The Norman Foster Foundation together with engineering skills from ETH Zurich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge University; contributions by students from Madrid, ETH Zurich and MIT; and the support of the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction and the LafargeHolcim Research Center in Lyon. They have produced a high strength, earth-based Durabric product specifically for the project.

Norman Foster, Founder and Chairman of Foster + Partners; and Chairman of the Norman Foster Foundation, has unveiled the first full-scale prototype of his Droneport concept at the Arsenale, which is designed to transport medical supplies to remote regions in Africa using unmanned flying vehicles.

Jonathan Ledgard, Director, Afrotech & Future Africa, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL). The concept branded as “Redline”, was incubated within EPFL Lausanne under his leadership. “Redline’s” intention is to build three “Droneports” as proof of concept on land offered by the Rwandan Government on long-term leases.

To demonstrate concept feasibility and raise the public profile of the Droneport venture, a pavilion based on a prototype vault has been erected as part of the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale.

18,000 Durabrics were made available for the Droneport construction in Venice. As the technology is easily transferable, the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction encouraged the use of Durabric to build the Droneport prototype at the Architecture Biennale in Venice as a symbol for future projects in Rwanda and other emerging countries.

The drone is capable of delivering cargo quickly and cheaply on continents lacking adequate road and railway systems. A proposed drone network would bypass these deficiencies.

Celebrating the completed "Droneport" prototype - a result of teamwork across disciplines and continents (from left): Matthew DeJong, ODB Structural Engineering, UK; John Ochsendorf, ODB, USA; Lord Norman Foster, UK; ​Peter Rich, South Africa; Philippe Block, ODB/Block Research Group, Switzerland.

Personal engagement of Lord Norman Foster: proposals to further optimize the “Droneport” prototype vault at the 15th International Architecture Biennale in Venice which has been constructed using customized “Durabric” compressed earth tiles developed by LafargeHolcim.

The LafargeHolcim Research Center in Lyon delivered 18,000 customized “Durabric” compressed earth tiles to construct the “Droneport” prototype vault at the Norman Foster Foundation Pavilion as contribution to the 15th International Architecture Biennale in Venice.

Testing on site: Lord Norman Foster approving a construction sample of “Durabric” compressed earth bricks at his “Droneport” pavilion at the 15th International Architecture Biennale in Venice.

Collaborating on the project, John Ochsendorf (right), of Ochsendorf, Dejong & Block (USA). The prototype presented at the Venice Biennale is a first iteration to define the key architectural elements of such a building. As a tile vault with a robust structural form and simple, foolproof formwork system, it is inexpensive to construct.

Werner Sobek (center), Director of the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (ILEK), University of Stuttgart in Germany, and a member of the Global Awards jury in 2012 visits the Droneport pavilion.

The prototype vault comprises two outer layers of this custom Durabric with an inner layer of traditional tiles.

The Droneport’s location at the end of the Arsenale in Venice is symbolic as the gateway to a newly opened public park. The possibility of the structure remaining as a permanent legacy is now under consideration.

Collaborating on the project, John Ochsendorf (left), of Ochsendorf, Dejong & Block (USA). The proposal for a Droneport is expected to provide one step towards development; using the air to move things on a small scale may be a shortcut that will ultimately save time and money without having to wait for heavy, conventional infrastructure.

Norman Foster combines state-of-the-art engineering that can be built by almost everybody. He actually involved students in the construction, not as a pedagogical or academic statement but as a way to test the proposal’s transferability.

The special Durabric product of stabilised earth is a reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly building material that does not require intensive use of fuel to achieve its performance.