3D construction printing reached new heights this week as the world’s first 3D-printed medical center was completed in Thailand. Often associated with residential homebuilding, 3D construction printing (3DCP) is an industry innovation that aims to build homes faster, cheaper, and stronger.
The recently finished medical center in Saraburi, Thailand, spans 3,712 sf and is two stories tall—the first two story 3D-printed building in the ASEAN countries. The medical center was built by Siam Cement Group (SCG), the largest and the oldest cement and building material company in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
Building the world’s first 3D-printed medical center
Using a BOD2 3D concrete printer from COBOD, the medical center bears a familiar wavy-wall design often seen in many 3D-printed structures. This building was specifically designed to support seismic loads as well. Due to the method of 3DCP, SCG was able to build the center at an increased speed with less labor required compared to conventional building methods.
The success of the Saraburi medical center was supported by SCG’s collaborative studies with Thailand universities. Chalermwut Snguanyat, 3D Printing and Fabric Concrete Technology Director from SCG, notes that the design of the 3D-printed medical center was approved by a senior professional engineer, and the materials used were SCG printing mortars with strength classes of C75/80 and C30/35 for load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls, respectively.
According to SCG, the building’s freeform design stands out for “only being possible due to the use of 3D construction printing.”
As an official distributor of COBOD in Thailand, SCG aims to continue increasing construction efficiencies, improving design, and reducing the environmental footprint by generating less waste on the construction site.
RELATED:
- 3D printing for construction advances in Germany
- Montana becomes first U.S. state to approve 3D printing in construction
- Will 3D printing be an answer for building more affordable homes?
Related Stories
3D Printing | Aug 29, 2018
Dubai plans to 3D print 25% of every new building by 2025
The Dubai Future Foundation recently announced the Dubai 3D Printing Strategy.
Accelerate Live! | Jun 24, 2018
Watch all 19 Accelerate Live! talks on demand
BD+C’s second annual Accelerate Live! AEC innovation conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago) featured talks on AI for construction scheduling, regenerative design, the micro-buildings movement, post-occupancy evaluation, predictive visual data analytics, digital fabrication, and more. Take in all 19 talks on demand.
| Jun 11, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: How advanced digital fabrication techniques are driving design innovation
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), SOM’s Lucas Tryggestad and Kyle Vansice present the firm’s 3D-printed building project and explore how digital fabrication is pushing design innovation.
| May 30, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Seven technologies that restore glory to the master builder
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), AEC technophile Rohit Arora outlines emerging innovations that are poised to transform how we design and build structures in the near future.
3D Printing | Nov 21, 2017
Europe’s first 3D-printed building has been completed
Construction ran a few weeks behind schedule, but the 3D printing wasn’t to blame.
Codes and Standards | Aug 8, 2017
3D printing industry working to implement standards for products, processes
Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collective (AMSC) will develop industry-wide additive manufacturing standards and specifications.
Accelerate Live! | Jul 6, 2017
Watch all 20 Accelerate Live! talks on demand
BD+C’s inaugural AEC innovation conference, Accelerate Live! (May 11, Chicago), featured talks on machine learning, AI, gaming in construction, maker culture, and health-generating buildings.
Building Team Awards | Jun 14, 2017
3D-printed office: Office of the Future
Dubai kicks off 3D-printing tech initiative with a novel office project.
3D Printing | Jun 14, 2017
This is the world’s first building completely 3D printed onsite
The building is a lab for research on drones and 3D printing technology.
| Jun 13, 2017
Accelerate Live! talk: Incubating innovation through R&D and product development, Jonatan Schumacher, Thornton Tomasetti
Thornton Tomasetti’s Jonatan Schumacher presents the firm’s business model for developing, incubating, and delivering cutting-edge tools and solutions for the firm, and the greater AEC market.
