3D Printing Comes of Age in the AEC Community. From mocked
up Baroque Interiors to finally, the first known real world architectural/construction
application.
British architect Adrian Priestman claims to have designed
and installed the first 3D-printed components to be approved for use in the
construction industry.
"This is truly the first architectural application of
the 3D nylon sintered technology," Priestman told Dezeen, referring to a
decorative sheath he developed for a canopy on the roof of the refurbished 6
Bevis Marks office building in central London. "It's architectural in so
far as it's been through an approval process and tried and tested, and actually
installed in a building. It's an approved product for use in the construction
industry."
Asked whether there are any other 3D printed building
components currently approved for use in the construction industry, Priestman
said: "Not that I am aware of. If you go to the offices of a major
architect like Foster + Partners, they've got their own 3D-printing machine,
but they're not actually using the material to perform a function within a
building; they're using it as a modelling tool."
While many studios have been experimenting with 3D-printing
architectural structures and even working towards printing whole houses,
Priestman believes his is the first real architectural application of
3D-printing because it has been approved for use by a major construction firm.
"There may be someone who has done an installation, but this is a building
component that has to stand for fifteen or twenty years; as long as everything
that has been warrantied on the building," he said.
The 3D-printed sheaths were designed to surround a series of
complex joints between columns and a web of arms that support the canopy's EFTE
plastic roof. The components were subjected to rigorous environmental testing
before being included in the warranty for the roof by EFTE specialist Vector
Foiltec, which was responsible for the installation of the canopy.
The architect became involved in the project as a consultant
after Vector Foiltec decided that cast steel nodes normally used in this
scenario would not fulfil the practical or aesthetic requirements of this
project. "They're not a hundred percent accurate and you can see the
process left on the face of the steel," explained Priestman.
The casings he designed respond to the individual nature of
each intersection and were modelled using 3D computer software. They were then
printed in sections using a selective laser sintering process and applied to
cover the unsightly joints. "It is a purely decorative finish which makes
the steel look like it is a cast node but in effect it's not," said
Priestman. "So if the shroud fell off the steelwork would still stay
standing."
To prove to the client and the building contractor, Skanska,
that the parts were suitable for this application, Priestman took samples to an
accelerated testing facility. "We got it tested in 1000-mile-per-hour
winds in wind for 2000 hours, extreme weather tested," he said. "Once
I had done that, the product was approved by the big contractors for the
building."
The architect says he is now working with Skanska's
innovation team on other potential uses for 3D printing within the building
industry. "I'm pushing now to find places to use [3D printing]. It's going
to be driven from an engineering point of view," added Priestman. "How
big can we go? How much of a structural element is it? Let's start putting it
in the built environment."
Source: Dezeen.com
Copy and paste the link below into your browser to see an amazing
video of the entire 3D Printing process, the practicality and the reality of
this evolving technology. http://vimeo.com/71827347
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