A team of UC Berkeley researchers led by Associate Professor of Architecture Ronald Rael pioneered a technique to print cement-based materials, Gizmag reports.
What differentiates this technique from other applications of 3D printing in architecture, such as the multifamily project done in China, is that the technique Rael and his team developed prints out dry, powdered cement instead of wet cement. This allows users to create more complex and precisely finished structures, with reduced weight and waste.
"We are mixing polymers with cement and fibers to produce very strong, lightweight, high-resolution parts on readily available equipment; It’s a very precise, yet frugal technique," Rael told Gizmag. "This project is the genesis of a realistic, marketable process with the potential to transform the way we think about building a structure."
To test the material, the researchers built the Bloom pavilion. The technology they developed has the capacity to construct up to 30 blocks per day, which means a structure like the Bloom pavilion can be completed in 28 days. The researchers’ first attempt took one year, which includes designing the parts, testing, building the printers, and other fine-tuning processes.
According to UC Berkeley, the architecture will be disassembled and shipped to SRI in Thailand, where it will be exhibited and remain on display for several months before traveling to various locations around the world.
Read more on Gizmag.
Related Stories
| Apr 15, 2013
Using software and the power of the cloud to connect your back office to your field operations [webinar]
This webinar will focus on a new software subscription service that will help construction companies, general and specialty contractors connect their back office infrastructure with all of their field operations. The service will help capture, manage and report on the progress of existing construction jobs and help in the planning of new ones.
| Apr 6, 2013
Bentley’s inaugural Chief Donald J. Burns Memorial Research Grant awarded to University of Texas Group
Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading company dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure, today announced that the Chief Donald J. Burns Research Grant for 2012 has been awarded on its behalf to Dr. Ofodike Ezekoye and Austin Anderson, of the University of Texas Fire Research Group (UTFRG), by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Scientific and Educational Foundation.
| Mar 27, 2013
Small but mighty: Berkeley public library’s net-zero gem
The Building Team for Berkeley, Calif.’s new 9,500-sf West Branch library aims to achieve net-zero—and possibly net-positive—energy performance with the help of clever passive design techniques.
| Mar 26, 2013
Will Google Glass revolutionize the construction process?
An Australian architect is exploring the benefits of augmented reality in the design and construction process.
| Mar 6, 2013
Hospital project pioneers BIM/VDC-based integrated project delivery
The Marlborough (Mass.) Hospital Cancer Pavilion is one of the first healthcare projects to use BIM/VDC-based integrated project delivery.
| Feb 25, 2013
AISC seeks proposals for development of BIM best practices guide
The American Institute of Steel Construction seeks assistance from BIM users in identifying and documenting best practices to facilitate the long-term standardization of BIM in structural steel construction.
| Feb 8, 2013
AAMA and WDMA release updated industry review, trends forecast
Windows and doors report predicts slow growth in commercial construction; analyzes historic data from 2006-11 and forecast data through 2015.
| Jan 31, 2013
Newforma releases next generation Project Analyzer software
Newforma, a project information management software company, announced that a new version of its design project management software, Newforma Project Analyzer, has been validated by leading architecture and engineering firms and is now commercially available.
