India’s largest construction company, L&T Construction, has printed a 65-sq-m, two-storey building from concrete with integral reinforcement.
Claimed to be India’s first, the structure near Chennai complies with Indian building codes.
L&T developed the printable concrete mix in house, based on locally available materials.
L&T senior executive vice president MV Satish 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.”
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The printer was supplied by Danish manufacturer, Cobod; its printers have been used for 3D printing firsts in Germany (https://www.bimplus.co.uk/technology/peri-builds-3d-printed-house-germany/) and Africa.
Cobod said L&T’s use of conventional concrete was significant because to date most 3D printed buildings have been made with ready mix mortars, which have a maximum particle size of 4mm and are generally less strong than concrete. This can make structures printed with mortars fall foul of countries’ building codes, Cobod said.
“L&T Construction’s project marks a huge step forward for our industry, on a global scale,” said Cobod founder Henrik Lund-Nielsen.
“Not only is the project showing that more and more conventional construction companies are adapting 3D printing, but the 3D printing of real concrete made by L&T themselves is significant, as this helps to drive down the cost even further. It is really impressive how L&T developed the 3D printable concrete and applied integral horizontal and vertical reinforcement in the building.”
Image: courtesy of Cobod.
