The 3D printing industry started as a hobby where anyone could design products or small parts and then print them at home, and in short, save on the cost of buying small accessories in the long run.
3D printing technology has advanced over the years in terms of supporting the use of different materials and the complexity and scale of products that can be printed. Now, it has been proven that buildings can also be built using the technology.
Named Tor Alva, the 30-meter-tall tower was built in the Swiss village of Mulegns using 3D-printed concrete and comes with several additional components for reinforcement purposes.
Built by architect Michael Hansmeyer and Professor Benjamin Dillenburger, a lecturer at ETH Zurich, a public university in Switzerland, the structure is strong enough for people to enter and walk inside. It consists of 32 concrete columns printed using a large 3D printer and a concrete material developed specifically for this purpose. The dome at the top of the tower was also printed using the same technique.
The building components took five months to print at ETH Zurich, where they were then transferred to ETH Hönggerberg for assembly, and then to Mulegns for erection.
This project shows how the future of the construction industry can change with new technologies, where houses or buildings can be built at a lower cost and in a shorter time.