3D Printing News Briefs, January 14, 2021: SRTI Park & CyBe Construction, L&T Construction, ASTM International

We’re starting things off with a little construction 3D printing in today’s News Briefs, and then moving on to business. The first 3D printed, functional villa in the Middle East was recently completed, while a construction company reported that it had 3D printed a building with reinforcement for the first time in India. Finally, ASTM International has welcomed a new board member. Read on for all the details!

Functional 3D Printed Villa in the UAE

According to Construction Week, the first functional 3D printed villa in the Middle East was constructed in just two weeks, thanks to Dutch 3D printing company CyBe Construction and its mobile 3D printer with fast-drying concrete mortar. The design of the Sharjah 24 house, located at the Sharjah Research, Technology, and Innovation Park (SRTI Park), is meant to emulate the architectural heritage of the United Arab Emirates, which declared in 2016 that it was working towards a goal of having 25% of the buildings in Dubai 3D printed by the year 2030. The 3D printed villa project is part of a collaboration between the UAE’s academic, government, and private sectors in an effort to increase the status of Sharjah, which borders Dubai to the south, as a “preferred destination for cutting-edge building techniques and forward-thinking architecture.” The American University of Sharjah, several international universities in Finland, and research institutions in the Netherlands and other countries all contributed to the Sharjah 24 house project.

“This type of construction has many advantages such as easy access to complex designs, with capabilities for simple modification and access to parts of different sizes. This resulted in shorter duration of construction and lots of savings,” said HE Hussain Al Mahmoudi, the CEo of SRTI Park.

“We aspire, through this project, to strengthen the emirate’s position as a centre for research and innovation in the world.”

3D Printed Two-Story Building in India

Speaking of 3D printing houses, L&T Construction, the construction arm of $21 billion Indian conglomerate Larsen & Toubro, announced that it had 3D printed an entire reinforced, two-story building for the first time in India. The 700 sq foot building was constructed at the company’s Kanchipuram facility out of a concrete mix developed in-house with indigenously available construction materials, and is in line with the country’s aggressive objective of building 600 million houses in India through the “Housing for All by 2022” program. L&T Construction used vertical reinforcement bar and horizontal distributors made from welded mesh for the 3D printed building, so it optimizes costs and meets provisions in the Indian Codes. The company claims that the entire building, with the exception of the horizontal slab members, was 3D printed within 106 printing hours (not total hours) in situ at the job site, but as always, we remain skeptical, though I do appreciate the company making the distinction between total hours and 3D printing hours.

M.V. Satish, L&T Construction’s Whole Time Director & Senior Executive Vice President (Buildings), said, “3D concrete printing is one of the technology disruptors with the potential to radically redefine construction methodologies and I am extremely happy that by demonstrating our growing expertise in 3D printing, we are well positioned to push the boundaries of automated robotic construction.

“3D printing will not only accelerate the pace of construction but also significantly improve build quality.”

Boeing Technical Fellow Joins ASTM International’s Board

Non-profit organization ASTM International, which works to serve global societal needs by integrating consensus standards and services, has a board of directors made up of 25 leaders, some outside the US, from many different associations, companies, and government bodies. Christopher R. Reid, an associate technical fellow in human factors and ergonomics for Boeing’s Environment, Health, and Safety organization in South Carolina, has just joined the organization’s board of directors for a three-year term.

Reid has been a member of ASTM International since 2017, and has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology from the University of Central Florida, in addition to doctoral and master’s degrees in industrial engineering. He is a member of several ASTM International committees, including its F42 committee on additive manufacturing technologies, which was formed roughly a decade ago and will be convening to review and advance an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) document that’s working to create an international, dual-logo ASTM and ISO standard.