INNOVATION The company says that the world's first 3D printing school is now open

The 3D printing technology used also reduces the environmental impact by 50 percent.

By Ameya Paleja/ By Ameya Paleja – interestingengineering.com

If you were under the impression that 3D printing technology was only for printing the space industry or reusable rockets, we won't judge you. The high costs of 3D printing have long meant that the technology was only used for high-end jobs. UK-based CDC Group wants to change that perception and recently 3D printed a school in Malawi in just 18 hours. Students are already attending classes in this new building. 

UNICEF estimates that there is a shortage of 36,000 classrooms in Malawi alone. It would take 70 years to bridge this gap using conventional construction methods. But 14 Trees, a joint venture working to address infrastructure needs in Africa, claims 3D printing technology can close that gap in just 10 years.

14 Trees is a joint venture between UK-based CDC Group and French-Swiss multinational building materials company Lafarge Holcim. Through this partnership, they want to build affordable housing, schools and social infrastructure in Africa. 

For the printing process, the facility uses LafargeHolcim Ink, which not only reduces construction time, but also requires fewer materials compared to other construction options. In addition to reducing construction costs, it also reduces the environmental impact by 50 percent, the company claims.

However, the process is not fully automated. The team used a large extruder to build the walls of the structure. Skilled local workers handle the process of installing doors, windows, roofs and more. Through their venture, 14 Trees will also create more jobs for local people and help them grow.

The school premises, built at record speed, have now been handed over to the local community in Yambe zone of Salima district. After the move at the end of June, the children started attending classes. 

"I am very impressed with the new building - its durability and design provides the space and facilities that the students did not have before," said Juliana Kuphanga Chikandila, representative of the Director of Education, Youth and Sports in Malawi. Speaking about the school, she said: "It is particularly different from the schools built in Yambe zone and Salima area and will attract more students and dropout students will return to education."

14 Trees claims to be the first 3D-printed school in the world. Apart from the school, the enterprise also printed a 3D prototype house in just 12 hours in the Lilongwe region of Malawi. 

"Now that we have proved the concept in Malawi, we look forward to scaling this technology to wider regions," said Miljan Gutovic, Regional Head for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Holcim Group. The company has similar projects under construction in Kenya and Zimbabwe.