building

Branch Technology Creates ā€œLargest 3D-Printed Structureā€

(Image courtesy of Branch Technology.)Branch Technology has erected what it claims is the worldā€™s largest 3D-printed structure for Nashville, Tenn.ā€™s  OneC1TY neighborhood. Unveiled at the 2018 International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures this week, the structure strands at 20 feet tall and stretches 42 feet wide.  Chattanooga, Tenn.-based firm is known for its unique… Continue reading Branch Technology Creates ā€œLargest 3D-Printed Structureā€

Look Who’s Patented 3D Printable Concrete

We were directed to a patent describing a composition for 3D printable concrete.  This would certainly be a very useful capability, as the many attempts at 3D printed buildings using concrete extruders have had mixed success. However, most, if not all, of them have been using standard concrete materials.  We know from experience with thermoplastic… Continue reading Look Who’s Patented 3D Printable Concrete

High-Rise Prefab Housing Looks to 3D Printing

The scale of what 3D printing may be used for continues to grow. The Singapore Centre for 3D Printing, based at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), is currently initiating a project to construct high-rise public housing using concrete 3D printing.

Will 3D Printed Homes Be Viable?

An article in the Guardian examines Winsunā€™s recent 3D printed housing project and weā€™re wondering how feasible this may really be.

BetAbram To Release House Printing Machine

Over the course of its nearly 30-year lifetime, additive manufacturing has been used to create a massive array of objects. Though while the technology has had a number of different applications, its ability to produce objects on a massive scale has only just begun.

Buy a 3D Printed Stadium

Thereā€™s quite a few 3D print services out there today and itā€™s hard for services to distinguish themselves. One strategy is to specialize and thatā€™s what ZVerse does. They specialize in Sports. 

Ten 3D Printed Sustainable Homes Produced in 24 Hours

An experimental revolution is underway in China to use 3D printing techniques to build houses. This rapid construction process was demonstrated to build ten small houses in 24 hours predominantly from recycled materials. The company behind it is Suzhou-based construction materials firm Winsun.

Contour Crafting Update

Many years ago we wrote a brief story on Contour Crafting, who, if you don’t know, are developing the technologies necessary to 3D print entire buildings in concrete. The idea is to erect a “portable” 3D printer gantry around a home-building site and have the device extrude the walls of the building.    This approach… Continue reading Contour Crafting Update

Digital Grotesque: A 3D Printed Room

In July of this year Digital Grotesque will launch. It’s a project to produce “an elaborate, fully-enclosed room that is entirely 3D printed.”    Computational architects Benjamin Dillenburger and Michael Hansmeyer designed Digital Grotesque and exhibited a 1:3 scale prototype at the recent 2013 Swiss Art Awards in Basel. They hope to produce a full… Continue reading Digital Grotesque: A 3D Printed Room

Emerging Objects 3D Prints Architectural Materials

Oakland-based Emerging Objects isn’t your normal design firm. Rather than designing homes, interiors, furniture or products from common materials, the four-person group is trying to create materials for tomorrow’s 3D printed objects.   Self-described as a “a pioneering design and research company that specializes in designing and 3D printing objects for the built environment using… Continue reading Emerging Objects 3D Prints Architectural Materials

D-Shape’s Plans

Enrico Dini is the founder of D-Shape, pioneers in large-scale 3D printing using concrete-like materials. They’ve developed a technique for solidifying sand into a kind of sandstone using a chlorine-based fluid.    The 3D printer is truly massive and must be erected on the building site – or else you’d better hire trucks and cranes… Continue reading D-Shape’s Plans

D-Shape Reshapes NYC

Concrete 3D printer D-Shape has been awarded first place in NYC’s “Change the Course” Waterfront construction competition. The USD$50,000 prize is intended to generate unique ideas and approaches for redeveloping the 565 miles of NYC shoreline, particularly after damages incurred by Hurricane Sandy.    D-Shape’s technology will be used to restore damaged seawalls other other… Continue reading D-Shape Reshapes NYC

Thoughts On That 3D Printed Building

Widespread media reports describe a project by Dutch architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars, who plans to build a home using 3D printing. He’s actually going to 3D print a house.    The project will use the D-Shape 3D printing technology from Enrico Dino, who previously used this approach to produce a huge sculpture. The D-Shape 3D printer… Continue reading Thoughts On That 3D Printed Building

3D Print Lightweight Load Bearing Structures

In most large constructions, rigid, dense and heavy support beams are used to keep a structure from crumbling in on itself.  But for some applications, having dense structural components is a drawback. Researchers in Europe have shown that the density of structural components can be greatly reduced if they’re constructed around a fractal pattern.  … Continue reading 3D Print Lightweight Load Bearing Structures

The Spiderbot Project

Ben Peters of the MIT Media Lab is working on something called the “Spiderbot”, which is:    A lightweight self-contained cable suspended robot, moving similar to a SkyCam in stadiums, for 3d printing structures by attaching to high points in surrounding environments (trees, buildings, etc.)   We have seen several approaches for 3D printing large… Continue reading The Spiderbot Project

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Softkill’s Protohouse

We’ve previously written about experiments in 3D printing for building construction and while these experiments have experienced varying degrees of success, there remains the question of “what do you print” if you can build house-sized objects.    That was the question answered by design firm Softkill, whose exhibit at the recent 3D Printshow displayed a… Continue reading Softkill’s Protohouse

Printing Bricks

Fabbaloo readers are most familiar with the idea of 3D printing plastic, metal or sometimes food, but how about bricks? The method of making common ceramic brick for centuries is giving way for an experiment in 3D printing building bricks.    The experiment is being conducted by Building Bytes, who have already designed three styles… Continue reading Printing Bricks

3D Print Your Dream House?

The folks at RepRapCentral have produced a short video demonstrating what could become an interesting application of 3D printing tech: producing tactile 3D models of your dream house.    While the video appears to be a concept print, the idea is to address the uncertainty home buyers face when evaluating possible home designs. At the… Continue reading 3D Print Your Dream House?