UC Berkeley showcases world's 1st 3D-printed cement structure

Researchers with University of California at Berkeley have unveiled the first-ever structure made solely from printed cement pieces, so as to demonstrate the capacity and versatility of 3D printers.

The research team, led by associate architecture professor Ronald Rael at Berkeley's Environmental Design (CED) College, created the small pavilion known as "Bloom" in one year, to prove that this type of technology can go a long way. The structure was built by printing 840 bricks of cement and then assembled them together.

"While there are a handful of people currently experimenting with printing 3D architecture, only a few are looking at 3D printing with cement-based materials, and all are extruding wet cement through a nozzle to produce rough panels," Rael said.

"Bloom" is placed at Berkeley's CED lawn and stands almost three meters high and 3.6 meters wide, with a Thai floral pattern weaved along the round structure. All of the bricks are hollow to allow the light to pass through.

3D printers have been in the market for almost a decade and they are rapidly evolving to the extent of creating furniture or medical devices, but some architects believe that the technology's full potential has not been unleashed yet.

Creating buildings or big structures with 3D printers sounds to many people like science-fiction, but Rael's team proved that thanks to cement polymers, they were able to overcome many of the previous limitations. Such limitations include the speed and cost of production as well as aesthetic and practical applications.

In a press release sent by the university, Rael explained that "we are mixing polymers with cement and fibers to produce very strong, lightweight, high-resolution parts on readily available equipment; it's a very precise, yet frugal technique. This project is the genesis of a realistic, marketable process with the potential to transform the way we think about building a structure."

What sets apart "Bloom" from previous similar constructions made by 3D printers is that the team used cements, polymers and fibers and 11 printers, which yielded much more defined bricks, that in turn, made the building experience easier.

After its official presentation last week, "Bloom" will be dissembled and shipped to Thailand, to be displayed there for some months, after which it will travel to other locations around the world. Endi