Over the past decade, a variety of items have been 3D printed. Amazing innovations have been made to the 3D-printed world, including furniture, food, organs, and even cars, and homes. One thing we haven’t seen, though, is a 3D-printed architecture.
3D-printed Architecture is now making its way to reality. Buildings that are 3D printed are soon to become reality.
Is 3D-printed architecture sustainable? What are we going to see in the future?
To answer these questions there are a few examples. From the 3D-printed mosque in Dubai to the upcoming El Cosmico Hotel in Texas, these future architectures will surely provide the answers for the sustainability and future possibilities of 3D printing technology.
Where it all started?
The first 3D-printed part was produced by Chuck Hull in 1983. That year he created the first-ever 3D-printed part. software mathematically slices the computer model of the object into a large number of thin layers.
Charles Hull is the inventor of stereolithography, the first commercial rapid prototyping technology commonly known as 3D printing. The earliest applications were in research and development labs and tool rooms, but today 3D printing applications are seemingly endless.
From experts’ point of view
Though the almost cult-like craze for tabletop 3D printers from the previous decade has diminished, a new trend for technology is emerging in some architectural circles. Large-scale robots are currently printing complete homes outside of the model shop and into real life.
An Austin-based business icon, that has grown to be one of the most well-known companies in this cutting-edge tech industry, claims that 3D-printed structures can be produced faster, with less waste, and are 350% stronger than those made using conventional construction techniques. The company has gained notoriety recently with promises to build the biggest 3D-printed community in the world and aspirations to send 3D-printed structures to the moon.
El Cosmico: 3D-printed hotel, in Texas
The first 3D-printed hotel in the world will debut in Marfa, Texas, in 2024.
The more than 60-acre hotel will include cutting-edge design strategies made possible by extensive 3D printing.
The El Cosmico 3D-printed hotel, which is presently a 21-acre campground hotel in Texas, will be rebuilt, relocated, and expanded as part of this project.
The new construction will incorporate El Cosmico’s first 3D-printed hotel current infrastructure with brand-new features and conveniences like domed guest accommodations, a spherical infinity pool, and an outside lavatory.
Additionally, there will be a neighborhood of 3D-printed houses with two, three, and four bedrooms available for purchase as exclusive vacation homes.
According to the press announcement, “…informed by this unique connection between the high desert landscape and cosmic organizations,” El Cosmico’s design for its enlargement and redesign the style.
3D-Printed Mosque in Dubai
Dubai is planning to build the first 3D-printed mosque.
According to Ali Mohammad Alhalyan Alsuwaidi, chief of engineering at the Dubai Government’s Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD), the 3D-printed mosque would hold 600 worshippers and span 2,000 square meters over two stories. It will be composed of a concrete mixture, and work is scheduled to start by year’s end and be finished in the first quarter of 2025.
Alhalyan Alsuwaidi said, “We chose to 3D-print the mosque since it’s a new and revolutionary technology that may save time and resources compared to traditional building methods.” IACAD declined to disclose the name of the business in charge of the construction.
Apart from these details engineers also share the material that will be used to build this 3D-printed mosque.
3D-printed buildings can be built, requiring massive, programmed printing equipment.
