3D Printing Houses for Utopia


Printing a house with the BigDeltaWASP 3D printer. Image: WASP
Last year, the Italian 3D printer company WASP unveiled the world's largest 3D printer. It's a giant hexagonal tower 40 feet high and 20 feet wide. The size of the machine, which is called Big Delta, wasn't an attempt to get into the Guinness book of world records—it was more an attempt to get to utopia (WASP stands for "World's Advanced Saving Project"). The printer is made to build homes, in whatever far-flung places might need them, cheaply and of the material found there. 
“What we are doing is an experiment [that is] somewhat ‘extreme,’” says Maurizio Andreoli, WASP's spokesman. "No one has ever printed earth and straw. With this first living module we want to prove, even to ourselves, that you can do it."
They are currently proving just that.
In a commune called Massa Lombarda, in Italy's province of Ravenna, they have begun building in their “Technological Village,” dubbed Shamballa. They now have produced a wall the height of an average-sized person.
The mixture of dirt and straw is light and strong. Image: WASP
According to WASP, its extruder turns dirt and straw that are combined with a mixer and a motorized hoe into a "fiber-reinforced material like a composite." The group claims, using its technology, "Two men can build a refuge in a week." And that refuge needn't be box-like, utilitarian, and boring. Walls can curve and undulate, homes can be free of corners, so the world's neediest may end up in the most cutting edge architecture. The shanty towns of the future may be a bit funkier than their predecessors.
Their current wall, a rising cylinder that looks as if it's been stretched on a potter's wheel, is made of two layers bolstered by wavy or zig-zagging lines inside. Beause it is hollow, it could be filled with insulation or some kind of ventilation system. But this first prototype won't be for living in. WASP plans to tear it down and use the fibrous material for building new structures.
A BigDeltaWASP 3D printer. Image: WASP
WASP isn’t the only firm trying to print homes or homelike structures. Berkeley Khoshnevis's Contour Crafting has been laying down walls for some time. And researchers at the Netherlands Eindhoven University have been printing some groovy structures with their concrete printer. But the people behind WASP may be the most idealistic. They don't patent their inventions, and they invite anyone who wants to contribute to come help them build in Shamballa. They hope Big Delta will eventually be able to help create the 100,000 new homes a day that the UN has said will be needed throughout the world over the next 15 years.
"Once the prototype is done, we are going to start a very intense studio work on other materials, but always in the direction of sustainability--environmentally and economically," says Andreoli
source :https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/manufacturing-design/3d-printing-houses-for-utopia

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vastu shastra Tips for your kitchen

Image
As per the rules of Vastu Shastra, since Fire prevails in the South East direction, the Kitchen should be located in the South East. Technically as per Vastu Shastra, East quadrant is considered an excellent location for the kitchen because this area brings prosperity. South-East is the best direction for the kitchen. North quadrant is the second option and North-West is the direction. In diagonal plots, avoid North quadrant which has ill effects on female members. West quadrant gives average results for the kitchen. Even North-East direction is fine for having the kitchen. The benefit is that the person cooking will face the East direction in the morning which is good for health. Cooking while facing North, is also fine. The cooking stove 1. It is best placed in the South East corner (the place of Lord Agni). 2. It should not be visible from outside the house. 3. It should not be placed right in front of the kitchen entrance. 4. The gas cylinder should be close enou
Read more

5 Tips to Make Small Home Rooms Look Bigger

The recession has caused small homes to quickly make a comeback as opposed to larger homes. One of the reasons for this may just be an increased concern for the environment. Small houses do require less material to construct and use lesser resources over their life and leave a smaller footprint. With this rise in demand for these smaller homes, both builders &  interior designers  have started looking at ways in which they can maximize space and ensures homeowners have homes that meet all their needs irrespective of its size. Simple 5  Interior Design  Tips for BIGGER looking Space A few small homes feel a lot bigger than others even when they are the same size. The homes which appear to be larger have some things in common. All of them certainly make best use of square footage which is available. Some just enhance functionality of a room while others can even trick the eye to thinking a room is bigger than it is.  High ceilings -   They really can make rooms look a lot
Read more

Interior Design Ideas for Your Bedrooms

Sometimes, when a homeowner is trying to improve the appearance of his home they neglect the bedroom completely. It may not receive the fresh decorative ideas that the rest of the home gets and there is an explanation for this. People believe that there are very few people who are going to see the bedrooms and they are only going to be using it to sleep, so why waste time decorating it? But this is not true at all. You actually spend a lot of time in the bedroom and if you are considering fixing it up then let’s take a look at a few  interior design  ideas that can help you out. Now, one important thing which you need to take into account when creating this personal space for yourself is to let it reflect your personality and be intimate at the same time. You will need to look into furnishings, accessories and colours to ensure the room offers you the most comfort. Colour choice is a very important decision. You would want to choose a tone that is pleasant and not very stimulatin
Read more