L&T prints India's first 3D ground-plus-one building in TN's Kancheepuram

3D printing will not only accelerate the pace of construction but also significantly improve build quality, said M V Satish, Whole Time Director & Senior Executive Vice President (Buildings) of L&T.
India's first 3D printed Ground plus one floor building constructed in Kancheepuram by Larsen and Toubro (Photo | EPS)
India's first 3D printed Ground plus one floor building constructed in Kancheepuram by Larsen and Toubro (Photo | EPS)

CHENNAI: India's first 3D printed ground plus one-floor building with reinforcement has been constructed in Kanchipuram. The 3D printed building, a Ground plus one-floor building of 700 square feet built-up area, is constructed at Larsen and Toubro's Kanchipuram facility with a special, in-house developed concrete mix using indigenously available regular construction materials.

Earlier in November 2019, the team had 3D printed 240 square feet 1 BHK, in line with typical economic weaker section building layout, to explore the feasibility of this innovative technology. The building was printed with both vertical reinforcement bars and horizontal distributors using a welded mesh that satisfy provisions in the Indian Codes and optimize the cost of construction.

Except for the horizontal slab members, the entire building structure was 3D printed 'Cast in Situ' at the job site in an 'open to sky' environment within 106 printing hours, using a fully automated 3D printer, according to a statement from L&T.

3D printing is a process, in which the material is printed under computer control to build a 3-dimensional product, typically layer by layer. It is predominantly used in manufacturing industries to print rapid prototypes, complex shapes and small batch production using special polymers, metal alloys, etc. 3D printing with concrete is still largely work in progress across the globe, the release stated.

"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," said M V Satish, Whole Time Director & Senior Executive Vice President (Buildings).

"3D printing will not only accelerate the pace of construction but also significantly improve build quality," he added. This achievement will certainly give a huge fillip for the mass housing segment, with the objective of creating 60 million houses under the Housing for All by 2022 programme, Guidance, Tamil Nadu tweeted that the technology is the 'future of Sustainable Construction'. Developers said the use of technology depends on how much it would cost to build a building.

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