Architectural Record 2015-04

ARCHITECTURAL RECORD APRIL 2015
perspectivetechnology
33
The Fine Print
Three design teams employ three different methods to arrive at 3-D printed structures.
By Anna Fixsen
in the summer of 1908, Thomas Edison filed
a patent for a contraption that could construct
a house—bathtubs and all—with a single pour
of concrete. Although such aspirations may
seem amusing today, Edison’s goals aren’t far
off those of contemporary research involving
the 3-D printer. Three ongoing architecture
projects on three continents demonstrate
different approaches to this technology. If
successful, they will have far-reaching implications
for the design and construction industry.
Perhaps the most prominent example is
the 3D Print Canal House, a project started by
Amsterdam-based firm DUS Architects in
January 2014 and funded, in part, by the city.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: © OLIVIER MIDDENDORP
When complete, DUS Architects’ canal house will resemble
a traditional Dutch home (top, left; and clockwise). The
firm has encouraged the public’s involvement, inviting
visitors to see the printer in action. The house is printed
piece by piece. A chunk of one room (above, and in chart
at right) features an intricate tessellation-like pattern.
Using a beefed-up version of an Ultimaker
desktop 3-D printer (the Kamermaker, as it’s
called, is approximately 20 feet tall), the firm
is printing large architectural components
of the house with a bio-based “ink” made
primarily of linseed oil. When completed,
these components—which have openings for
wire and cables—will be filled with a lightweight
concrete to connect them. To date, they
have printed one room, and, this month, DUS
plans to unveil a second machine that will
print even larger pieces and enable the team
to print 24 hours a day.
“As a firm, our dream is that people can
go online, download their ideal house, and
customize it on demand with no hassle, so
that the luxury of made-to-measure architecture
becomes available to the masses,” says
DUS partner Hedwig Heinsman.
Since DUS began the project in earnest
barely a year ago, the architects say they have
increased the printer speed by 400 percent.
Currently, the team is experimenting with
the molecular makeup of the ink and incorporating
additives such as wood chips, which
creates a product similar to particleboard.
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3 LIBRARY
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ROOM
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6 KITCHEN
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HOUSE
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ROOM
They are also printing molds and testing the
tensile properties of the house’s components.
Meanwhile, 5,500 miles away in Shanghai,
WinSun Decoration Design Engineering is
taking DUS’s utopian ideal to an extreme.
Last summer, Computer World reported that
the company can print 10 squat one-room
houses in 24 hours from a mix that includes
View additional images at architecturalrecord.com.