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Sardinian architecture and design firmMASK Architectshas designed what it claims is the world’s first steel 3D printed collection of modular houses in the city of Orani, Sardinia.
该项目将被称为“ Madre Natura”或“ Mother Nature”，使用新颖的钢3D印刷的“外骨骼”构造系统，称为Exosteel，该系统利用荷兰3D印刷技术提供商的技术来利用技术MX3Dand a robotic arm from automation corporationKUKA.
由于项目的第一步完成，Mask Architects正在寻找一个投资者，以实现该项目，并且与MX3D达成了共同协议，以实现公司的共同参与该建筑物。
The “Madre Natura” concept
面具建筑师从意大利雕塑家Costantino Nivola和他著名的“ La Madre”雕塑中汲取了灵感，以设计其Madre Natura栖息地。该项目将在奥拉尼（Orani）倾斜的山腰内建立一个模块化住房开发的可持续结构。
Madre Natura将位于Nivola博物馆附近，并将成为与周围环境和谐融合的“生活地标”。设计工作室设想了一群房屋，可以作为当地社区的住房开发，最终形成了一个小村庄。
The development will consist of multiple heart-shaped white houses with central “energy towers” that mimic the head of Nivola’s La Madre sculpture. Each building will be designed to be entirely self-sustaining and capable of withstanding Sardinia’s natural climate and weather conditions. The houses will be constructed with built-in voids that guide Sardinia’s high winds through each building towards the development’s communal wind turbine, which will deliver power to the homes.
Each home will also feature individual energy conduits covered in solar panels that will harvest solar energy to generate power for the homes. The main centered energy tower that houses all the systems will be constructed using the EXOSTEEL steel robotic 3D printing technology.
The EXOSTEEL exoskeleton
一旦项目从设计概念到物理移动ical construction, MASK Architects plans to build the homes by inserting a hollow central column one third of the building’s height into the ground, which will be reinforced by wooden beams that support the home’s three floors. Each floor will be divided and supported by facades made up of panels that mimic the organic shape of the house.
Each home will be fabricated using the EXOSTEEL steel 3D printing exoskeleton construction system, which leverages MX3D’s 3D printing technology and KUKA’s robotic arm.
MX3D’s proprietary Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technology is designed to integrate with industrial robots and power sources to transform them into 3D printers utilizing the directed energy deposition (DED) 3D printing process.
The company has previously demonstrated the capabilities of its WAAM technology through the3D printing of a stainless steel bridge在阿姆斯特丹的心脏地带。“ MX3D桥”已经in the pipeline since 2015before it was unveiled earlier this year, and involved the use of four industrial WAAM robots working in unison to 3D print over 6,000kg of stainless steel.
对于Madre Natura项目，Mask Architects希望将MX3D的WAAM技术利用3D打印“房屋的所有结构零件，柱子，承载梁和支撑元素”。该计划是使用与Kuka机器人臂一起使用激光工具集成的WAAM的3D打印粉末，以构建建筑物的不同方面。
Mask Architects目前正在寻找投资者将项目带到下一个阶段，而技术和设计仍然需要一些精炼，然后Madre Natura才能成为现实。
The design studio told 3D Printing Industry: “This is only a first step, we know that we have found a solution but we need to improve it. We are designing bold, organic houses to catch the eye of all the people in this field, but next projects should be more sleek and sharp.”
Ultimately, this seems to be a ‘watch this space’ kind of project, with various factors to iron out before these futuristic eco-houses begin to populate Sardinia’s mountainsides. The first being the finalization of the mutual agreement with MX3D for their role in the project. If successful, Madre Natura could provide an impressive benchmark for WAAM’s potential capabilities in the construction sector.
3D printed housing projects
As the scalability of construction 3D printing continues to improve, the technology is being increasingly leveraged for the building of commercial homes and neighborhoods. Examples include图标的3D printed housing communityfor low-income families in Mexico, andPeri Group的additively manufactured三层公寓楼in Wallenhausen.
Meanwhile in March, Californian start-upMighty Buildingsannounced plans to3D打印15环保房屋在Coachella Valley附近的一个占地5英亩的商业地点。
Elsewhere, more novel approaches to construction 3D printing have been explored, such asWASP’s可持续3D印刷栖息地，TECLA,GAIA， 和“灰尘之屋”. The structures were built using the firm’sCrane WASP 3D printerusingentirely recyclable materials, in line with WASP’s mission to develop digital fabrication processes that advance the principles of thecircular economy.
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特色图片显示render of the 3D printed houses within the Madre Natura development. Image via MASK Architects.
