Visiting WASP Italy: Green Cocoon Attends Open Day

In September, our Managing Director, Gráinne, spent a warm week in Bologna while attending one of the Open Days hosted by WASP (World’s Advanced Saving Project), at their headquarters in nearby Massa Lombarda.

WASP are international pioneers in large-scale 3D printing and are widely recognised for their work with clay-based construction, using natural and locally sourced materials. For Green Cocoon, this visit was about more than technology. It was about relationships, shared values and learning through direct experience.

Ekaterina Volkova (left), Gráinne Connolly (centre), Imene Abidi (right)

Seeing the work up close

The Open Day offered the chance to meet the WASP team face-to-face and begin conversations about the potential for international collaboration. A guided tour of the facility followed, giving real insight into how large-scale clay 3D printing works in practice - its opportunities, its constraints, and the care required to make it successful.

The visit ended in the garden at GAIA, WASP’s 3D-printed clay structure. Walking around and inside the building was a powerful experience. Touching the walls, noticing the smell of the clay, and feeling how light and airy the space is are things no video can fully capture.

Gráinne Connolly infront of GAIA. Wasp HQ - Massa Lombarda, Italy

Shared values

What stood out most was WASP’s values-led approach. Their work isn’t driven by rapid extraction or fast commercialisation. Instead, it centres on collaboration, open knowledge-sharing and place-based solutions.

That ethos really resonates with our own. At Green Cocoon, we’re interested in circular innovation that is open, ethical and grounded in real-world application - learning together, testing ideas, and sharing what works (and what doesn’t).

Bringing the learning home to Wales

The visit acted as a catalyst for our work back in Wales. Gráinne returned home with clear next steps for our feasibility study into the potential of 3D printing using clay by-products from construction waste.

This early-stage work will focus on understanding material properties, safety and performance before thinking about scale. It’s a careful, necessary first step, and one we’re excited to be taking with the right partners around the table.

More updates soon as the work develops.