In the heart of Chattanooga’s Riverside district, Branch Technology is bridging one of the widest and most overlooked gaps in the built world: the digital divide between what designers can dream and what builders can deliver.
“In the last 20, 30, 40 years, the software in the design world has far outpaced what’s been physically possible,” says Ryan Lusk, CEO of Branch Technology. “We had CAD, then 3D modeling, then BIM (building information modeling) software – and now we’ve taken the next leap with generative AI. The ability to design unique building forms has grown tremendously, but the physical processes, material constraints and cost often prevent those ideas from becoming reality.”
Branch Technology, headquartered in Chattanooga since 2014, exists to close that divide. With proprietary 3D printing processes such as cellular fabrication – or C-Fab – and BranchMatrix, the company is reimagining how buildings are conceived and constructed. From sculptural art installations to lunar-inspired building facades and mobile shelters for the unhoused, Branch’s printed architecture is expanding what’s possible in the physical world – using an unexpectedly organic blueprint.
Building like nature
“We started off with the idea of building like nature,” Lusk says. “If you look at how organic matter is built, you’ll notice that the cell wall gives it its structure. That’s infilled with other materials to create composites with specific characteristics.”
The principle of biomimicry lies at the core of Branch’s patented production method. Their large-format robotic arms expel high-performance polymers, forming lattice structures that echo the cellular geometry found in nature.
These open frameworks can be customized in shape, size and form, allowing Branch to produce building components – exterior wall panels, for example – at architectural scale. C-Fab gives architects and designers the freedom to realize complex geometries that would be difficult or impossible with conventional construction techniques. It also delivers strength-to-weight advantages and opens new possibilities for creative design.
Unlike traditional additive manufacturing – or 3D printing – that layer material upon material to build up mass, Branch takes a minimalist approach. “We ask the opposite question: How little material can we use?” Lusk says. “The result is a structural lattice that uses 95% less material than a solid form without sacrificing strength.”
A growing portfolio
That question – how little? – has yielded an astonishing variety of applications. A stroll through Branch’s plant in Chattanooga reveals everything from sinuous sculptures that evoke nature’s fractal patterns to luminous architectural panels headed for Los Angeles. Each project hints at the company’s range – and ambition.
One of Branch’s earliest and most visible triumphs was the undulating white and brown facade at Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union’s Southside branch in Chattanooga. Installed in 2021, the project represents the world’s first 3D-printed building facade. Inspired by the rippling Tennessee River, the facade’s wave-like geometry transforms throughout the day as sunlight moves across it.
“It’s beautiful,” Lusk says. “And it was part of what sold me on the company. I drove past it every day on my commute to my previous employer.”
Another local project, the “Climbs Sculpture” at Chattanooga’s airport, introduced the public to Branch’s sculptural capacities. Built as a civic art installation and supported by the Chattanooga Chamber, the piece served as both a design demonstration and an early business calling card.
The company’s reach has since expanded nationally and internationally. In Huntsville, Branch collaborated with NASA to build a lunar facade for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Using actual LiDAR (light detection and ranging) scans of the moon’s surface, Branch recreated the craters and texture of lunar terrain in two massive panels flanking the center’s new Space Camp entryway.
“The finish uses Mica-Flex, which gives it a subtle reflective quality,” Lusk says. “The lighting really brings out the craters and undulations on the surface of the moon.”
Only yards away, Branch also restored the Pathfinder shuttle – an artifact of the 1980s shuttle program – by recreating its outer shell using C-Fab. “It looks like it did after it came through reentry,” Lusk notes. “You can see signs of heat and friction.”
Branch’s draped facade for a Sunset Boulevard billboard brings added architectural flair to one of L.A.’s busiest intersections, while in Tokyo, a multi-panel installation incorporates lighting elements seamlessly into a building facade, demonstrating Branch’s ability to integrate electrical systems into sculptural features.
Real-world constraints
While the designs are often poetic, the company’s approach is rigorously practical.
“Construction is an umbrella over a lot of sub-industries,” Lusk explains. “You have the architect – that’s the design arm; the developer – that’s the real estate and finance arm; and the general contractor – the team that physically builds the structure. All of them have different constraints and goals.”
Branch addresses those demands by reducing costs for developers, simplifying installations for contractors, and expanding design freedom for architects. Their panels are lightweight – eliminating the need for cranes – and can be installed faster with fewer workers. They’re structurally efficient and can be milled precisely to fit even irregular surfaces.
The company’s BranchRegenerate line targets energy-inefficient buildings with precision-milled retrofits that cling to existing structures like a second skin. A test installation at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado will quantify insulation gains, with real-world data to back up the environmental and financial case for widespread adoption.
For Lusk, it’s all part of what Branch calls “wise stewardship” – one of the company’s core values. “Sustainability is often thought of narrowly, as though it’s only about the carbon footprint,” he says. “We think of stewardship in a broader sense; it’s everything from human labor and financial resources to material usage and waste.”
That ethic has caught the attention of major partners. The U.S. Army’s “BioWall” project, now in its second phase, is a multi-year effort to develop fully bio-based versions of Branch’s products. The goal is to create a building-code-compliant composite wall system using only bio-derived materials, replacing the traditional polymers, insulation and finishes currently used in Branch’s C-Fab technology.
The project aligns with the Army’s push for more sustainable construction practices and explores how biomaterials can be used effectively in digital manufacturing.
The BioWall is also designed to integrate living plant systems with HVAC infrastructure, using plants’ natural ability to filter indoor air and reduce pollutants. In addition to improving air quality, the system could lower energy consumption and mitigate sick building syndrome, contributing to healthier indoor environments.
Humble geniuses
Branch is, above all, a culture-driven company. In addition to about 18 printing robotic arms, its production floor is staffed by a team of roboticists, engineers, architects and creatives. One team member has a doctorate in materials science. Another leads business development with a degree in philosophy. Then there are the summer interns with engineering majors.
“Our highest award is the ‘Humble Genius,’” Lusk says. “You need people who are smart, but also good to be around – people you’d want to grab a beer with, or be stuck in a foxhole with. We’re doing hard things. It takes a team.”
That team culture – collaborative, driven and curious – is what allows Branch to tackle such a wide array of problems – including homelessness.
Housing as a service
A recent project with the city of Chattanooga reimagines temporary homeless shelters using Branch’s technology. Rather than forcing cities to purchase units outright – an often-insurmountable upfront cost – Branch leases them, offering what Lusk calls “housing as a service.”
“We want these to be temporary in every sense,” he says. “The goal is for the shelter to become obsolete because the person inside has stabilized and moved on.”
The structures are clean, insulated, quickly deployable and easily sanitized. Designed with input from people with lived experience, they reflect not just cost-efficiency but also dignity.
“You want them to be spartan enough that residents are incentivized to move forward but still dignified,” Lusk says. “Still human.”
Factory that feels like a studio
A tour of Branch’s manufacturing facility reinforces the sense that this is not a factory in the traditional sense, but something closer to a giant architectural studio fused with an engineering lab.
Massive KUKA robotic arms whir as they lay down molten strands of polymer into intricate lattice patterns. Each bot is connected to proprietary software that controls movement and other processes to create a fluid, aesthetic-driven pattern.
“There’s artistry in all of it,” says Lusk. “Even our test blocks have a sculptural beauty.”
Throughout the office, these small test matrices rest on desks and shelves like modernist paperweights, subtly conveying the team’s creative energy. Out on the factory floor, full-scale panels show off a range of finishes – from concrete-like textures to high-gloss automotive sheens – demonstrating the versatility of Branch’s expanding material library.
History 101
Founded in 2014 by architect Platt Boyd (alongside Christopher Weller), Branch Technology was born out of frustration with the limits of traditional construction methods.
Platt famously sketched a free-form 3D-printed lattice using a handheld 3D pen in 2013, discovering that a tiny, half-ounce structure could support 18 pounds – an epiphany that sparked development of their groundbreaking extrusion-based printing method, notes Chattanooga Trend in a 2021 article.
Shortly afterward, Branch partnered with KUKA Robotics to pilot its first industrial-scale extrusion robot. The team began by printing prototypes through trial and error, gradually refining their process over time. Their evolving capabilities culminated in high-profile installations such as “Flotsam & Jetsam” at Design Miami in 2016 and “Nature Clouds” at Chicago’s Field Museum in 2018.
Branch first came to Chattanooga in the summer of 2014 to compete in GigTank, a startup accelerator hosted by The Company Lab. After completing the program, the company chose to relocate and set up operations in the Hamilton County Business Development Center’s incubator with three employees and a single industrial robot, as reported by Chattanoogan.com in 2021. As momentum grew, Branch raised $11 million in 2020 and later secured another $11 million to support expansion of its team, robotics capacity and software development.
The company transitioned from founder-led leadership when Platt Boyd moved to chief innovation architect in April 2023, with Ryan Lusk stepping in as CEO. Under Lusk, Branch accelerated from research and development to growth, refocusing on product development, market expansion and scaling in-house manufacturing, according to a 2025 article in 3DPrint.com.
Branch now operates a 40,000-square-foot facility on Riverside Drive in Chattanooga.
Rooted in Tennessee
While Branch Technology is pushing the boundaries of global construction, its roots run deep in Chattanooga – and throughout Tennessee. Lusk is clear on where the company’s identity lies.
“We’re proud to be based in Chattanooga,” he says. “It’s a great place for families and innovation.”
That pride extends across the state. Branch maintains strong collaborations with Tennessee-based institutions and partners – from venture development to material science.
“We’re proud to be Tennessean, as well,” Lusk says. “We have a number of Tennessee partners. LaunchTN – based out of Nashville – is one I’d cite.” (LaunchTN is a nonprofit that builds support systems for startups and investors in Tennessee.)
Branch also works with national laboratories and locally rooted suppliers. “We’ve worked with – and are working with – Oak Ridge National Lab, and we’ve used Techmer PM for material science research.”
The company’s regional ties are reinforced by elected officials who have supported Branch’s growth. “We’ve had great support from our senators and congressmen.”
Looking ahead
The forms that emerge from Branch Technology might be curved, sinuous, even ethereal – but the company’s direction is solid and intentional. What began as an experiment in cellular fabrication is now being scaled to meet the demands of city skylines.
Branch is already preparing for one of its most ambitious projects to date: a facade for a 50-story tower. “We often run two shifts a day,” says Lusk. “We can ramp up with a third shift in some cases.”
With timelines stretching over months or even years, Branch has designed its workflow to match the rhythm of large-scale construction, printing parts ahead of schedule and then storing them until the client is ready.
Inside the Chattanooga facility, capacity is no longer a constraint but a calculated opportunity. “We’ve already plumbed our factory for additional capacity growth – for additional robots,” Lusk says. “So we can grow for at least a couple more years here in this facility, and then we’ll look to expand into larger or multiple facilities soon.”
That vision extends beyond walls and machines and speaks to Branch’s confidence in its process and its purpose: The company is no longer designing for the future – it’s building it.