Now, I think this is just cool:
It's called 3D printing (or additive manufacturing) and it's changing the way architects view the limitations of the built environment.
This particular prototype is a scale model of a house printed using bone-growth algorithms, thereby maximizing the efficiency of material used while retaining structural strength.
I was introduced to the idea when I stumbled upon the 3D printer on my college campus. It looks something like a vending machine and produces plastic prototypes the size of Legos.
It wasn't long before I learned that Legos were just the beginning. Not only is the technology used to create bone transplants. Now they're developing printers that can construct entire buildings.
I'll admit I've been fairly skeptical. Wouldn't building and transporting a printer that size be just as time-consuming as laying concrete? And would the finished product resemble a climbing wall?
For the first instance - probably not, given that the first of these "small" printers is expected to be able to produce the equivalent of 12 two-story buildings in a year, or about four times faster than with conventional methods.
For the second - perhaps yes. The structures modeled so far certainly don't look like "marble" to me. However, I'm suspending judgement, especially because the technology's major proponent is hoping to use it to complete the Sagrada Familia, the remarkable Barcelonan cathedral imagined by architect Gaudi and only one-quarter finished before his death in 1926.
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| Softkill Design's ProtoHouse |
It's called 3D printing (or additive manufacturing) and it's changing the way architects view the limitations of the built environment.
This particular prototype is a scale model of a house printed using bone-growth algorithms, thereby maximizing the efficiency of material used while retaining structural strength.
I was introduced to the idea when I stumbled upon the 3D printer on my college campus. It looks something like a vending machine and produces plastic prototypes the size of Legos.
It wasn't long before I learned that Legos were just the beginning. Not only is the technology used to create bone transplants. Now they're developing printers that can construct entire buildings.
I'll admit I've been fairly skeptical. Wouldn't building and transporting a printer that size be just as time-consuming as laying concrete? And would the finished product resemble a climbing wall?
For the first instance - probably not, given that the first of these "small" printers is expected to be able to produce the equivalent of 12 two-story buildings in a year, or about four times faster than with conventional methods.
For the second - perhaps yes. The structures modeled so far certainly don't look like "marble" to me. However, I'm suspending judgement, especially because the technology's major proponent is hoping to use it to complete the Sagrada Familia, the remarkable Barcelonan cathedral imagined by architect Gaudi and only one-quarter finished before his death in 1926.
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| Photo Credit: Albert Sueba |
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| Photo Credit: Ihsan Gercelman |
In some senses this is the green architect's dream: eliminating carbon-emitting cement, preventing human error and drastically reducing waste. Yet on the other hand, it begs the question of what will become of construction jobs. In light of our recent conversation about the role of sustainable business in balancing efficiency versus employment (and the future of in-sourcing as brought up by Andrew Rodriguez), I wonder how this new phenomenon will provide for the 5-10% of industrialized nations' workforce employed as construction laborers.
Will it truly launch a revolution in construction, creating more outlets for skilled work in architecture, manufacture, and programming? Or will it further disempower the labor force? I believe if we continue to view human inputs as expendable, it will result in the latter, along with a slough of mindless construction. But if we can recognize that our machines are only as artistic as the intentions we feed them, we may yet live in a world with more beautiful, more equitable, and more sustainable architecture.
Kathlyn,
ReplyDeleteI recently discovered the 3-D printer thing to. It's mind blowing when you play out the possibilities. Maybe there won't e any manufacturing jobs at all only people who write programs for 3 D printers so that I can make my own furniture, houses, weapons? at home. Whoa. Weird eh?
Marsha
Isn't it? I happen to believe this won't take over the world, but I suspect that's because I also believe in things like hand-carving and the U.S. postal system. Just because I think it's crazy, doesn't mean it won't become the next "way the world works".
ReplyDeleteKat,
ReplyDeleteThis whole world of 3-D printers is really interesting and I am still trying to wrap my head around it all! This hits home for me because my family owns and operates a third generation printing business. It has been amazing to see the printing industry change over time. For example, a few generations ago, the newspaper was the only way that people could get news. Then, with email and the internet, the whold interface of printing had to change technology and merge with online orders and new machinery. Now, the printing business is very challenging with the competition of digital media in our phones and ipads. Fewer people feel the need to print on paper anymore (even though I still retain things much more when I see it on paper!) This new 3D printing technology seems to be the next generation in printing...and also the construction industry.
Thanks for the great post!