Mangrove Introduces 3D-Printed Fire Pits Created with North America’s First SPI Technology

New Courtyard Collection uses form-free concrete manufacturing to make distinctive forms and textures difficult to achieve through traditional concrete fabrication

Mangrove has launched its Courtyard Collection, a series of 3D-printed concrete fire pits that use advanced additive manufacturing to create sculptural forms difficult or impossible to achieve through traditional concrete fabrication. The collection is produced using Selective Paste Intrusion (SPI), a form-free concrete printing technology that Mangrove is the only manufacturer in North America operating at production scale, opening new possibilities for fire features designed as architectural elements within residential, hospitality, commercial and other outdoor environments.

“The Courtyard Collection was created for connection. We want to invite people into a design language that interprets our material through beauty and permanence,” said Spencer Hope, lead industrial designer at Mangrove. “Each piece was designed with threads of architecture, sculpture and stone. It’s always about embracing the material to tell stories and create experiences that are meaningful to people.”

Engineered for outdoor environments, the Courtyard Collection combines advanced concrete additive manufacturing with hand-finished craftsmanship. Three distinct designs – Lily, Sova and Staccato – explore different expressions of form and texture, with each available in two rim profiles and multiple sizes.

With a richly textured surface, Staccato creates a rhythm of light and shadow across its exterior. The textural pattern contrasts with a polished upper surface, giving the fire pit a distinctly modern profile.

Sova takes a minimal approach, allowing the texture and pattern of the concrete to define its smooth silhouette. The lower half retains the natural texture of the 3D-printing process, transitioning to a smooth, river-stone-like finish above.

Lily opens upward like a blooming flower, with a flared form that catches light across the surface. Visible striations from the 3D-printing process create depth and dimension below a smooth upper finish.

Narrow two-inch rims are offered in 28-, 34-, 40-, 46- and 58-inch diameters, while table 12-inch rims are available in 40-, 46-, 52-, 58- and 70-inch diameters. Concrete colors include Quarry and Graphite, allowing designers and property owners to select a combination appropriate for the surrounding architecture and landscape.

Each fire pit is produced using Mangrove’s proprietary SPI process, which builds concrete layer by layer within a bed of sand. Cement paste is selectively deposited into the sand, binding material only where the design calls for it, while the surrounding unbound aggregate supports the piece as it takes shape. This eliminates the need for traditional molds or formwork and allows Mangrove to produce complex geometries that would be difficult or impossible to achieve through conventional concrete fabrication. Once printing is complete, each fire pit is removed, cured, hand finished and sealed with a protective, heat-rated finish.

The Courtyard Collection reflects more than 60 years of concrete expertise through three generations of the Kerkstra family. From precast architectural panels to today’s 3D-printed concrete products, that history informs Mangrove’s approach to material performance, manufacturing and craftsmanship.

“Our decades of concrete expertise, paired with advanced additive manufacturing, opens the door to design-driven products that weren’t possible before,” said Greg Kerkstra, CEO of Mangrove. “Courtyard Collection demonstrates how we can use that technology to create products that bring together design, craftsmanship and the long-term performance people expect from concrete.”

The Mangrove design team approached Courtyard Collection as an architectural element within a larger outdoor environment rather than as a standalone object.

“Eliel Saarinen said it best, ‘every creation must fit and serve the broader ecosystem it lives within.’ That idea shaped our approach,” said Luke Strand, industrial designer at Mangrove. “Designing a fire pit isn’t just about the object itself. It’s about the space it occupies and the people who live in that space.”

Weighing approximately 340 to 1300 pounds depending on configuration, Courtyard Collection fire pits are designed as substantial, permanent outdoor elements. The concrete has been freeze-thaw tested to ASTM C666 for all-season outdoor use.

Each Courtyard Collection fire pit incorporates a U.S.-made CROSSFIRE® 2.0 solid-brass burner system designed for long-term outdoor durability and to produce a full, natural flame with efficient fuel use. Fire Pits are available in natural gas or propane configurations, with tumbled lava stones completing the fire feature. Courtyard Collection fire pits are made to order at Mangrove’s Caledonia, Michigan, design and manufacturing facility.

About Mangrove

Mangrove is a design-driven concrete additive manufacturing company and the only manufacturer in North America operating Selective Paste Intrusion (SPI) concrete printing technology at production scale. The company partners with architects, designers and developers to create complex, large-scale concrete elements for architectural, landscape and environmental applications. Using its proprietary SPI process, an industrial form of 3D concrete printing, Mangrove eliminates the need for traditional formwork, enabling greater design freedom, precision at scale and material efficiency from concept through production. Its integrated, in-house model brings together designers, engineers and fabrication specialists to deliver premium, custom solutions that would be difficult or impossible to achieve through conventional methods. Built on the Kerkstra family’s multi-generational legacy in concrete manufacturing, Mangrove combines decades of technical expertise and operational discipline to advance a new era of design-forward concrete fabrication. Learn more at https://mangrove3d.com/.