A 3D-Printed Building
Architects will use 3D printers to construct walls for a community center in Tanzania.
Courtesy of Hassell and Imigo
This computer-made image shows what the Hope Village community center will look like once it is completed.
Amazingly, it’s possible to construct a building by using a 3D printer to create its floors, walls, and more. There’s a problem, though. Ingredient number one is usually cement or something similar, which is strong but not environmentally friendly. Now, a company in Tanzania is planning to construct a village community center with a 3D printer that uses earth.
Located in the city of Kibaha, Hope Village will be a sanctuary for children who come from difficult or unsafe environments. The village will have a place for children to sleep, as well as farmland, a place for livestock, and places where children can play. The village community center will house a school and a cafeteria and will also serve as a gathering place for local residents. Hope Village is being designed by architecture firms called Hassell and ClarkeHopkinsClarke and sponsored by a charity called One Heart.
Courtesy of Hassell
A 3D printer prints out a test version of the walls that will make up the Hope Village community center.
The community center will be printed using earth that has been harvested from the surrounding area. Because earth isn’t as durable as cement and other building materials, it’s sometimes formed into bricks. The architects for Hope Village wanted their building to be different.
“We wanted to make sure that we’re able to create walls that could ventilate the building, but at the same time also bring in light,” Hassell’s head of design and innovation, Xavier De Kestelier, told CNN.
Courtesy of Hassell and Imigo
This computer-made image shows what the inside of the community center will look like.
The architects realized they could achieve this by designing the walls on a computer and then printing them out. The earth walls will have curves because curved shapes, like arches and domes, can help make a building stronger. They will be reinforced by a thin wire mesh, and metal poles will support the roof so the walls don’t have to. The roof, which will be made of wood and metal, will be draped over the poles like a tent. This will minimize the amount of rain that hits (and could damage) the earth walls.
The builders say the community center is just the beginning. They plan to teach local builders how to use the 3D printing technology so that they can construct additional buildings.
