A new architecture/building project aims to trump the scale and ambition of all 3D printing attempts to date. Architect/contractor Adam Kushner has enrolled the help of Enrico Dini of D-Shape to take on the execution of not just a dwelling, but an entire estate!
Note that Enrico Dini has been struggling for years and years to execute projects on the scale of a full-sized house, getting close in many cases but not yet achieving his own lofty goals. (See one of his printers and a previous printed house at the bottom of the post.) Hopefully combining the efforts of these two obsessive dreamers will produce real results, and not an endless money pit…that is actually a muddy pit with architectural fabrication robots hanging over it.
The massive project that KUSHNER Studios will be undertaking, is for the 3D printing of an entire estate in Gardiner, New York. It will feature an in-ground swimming pool, a pool house, and a 2400 square foot, 4 bedroom home. If accomplished, like Kushner undoubtedly believes, it will go down in history as perhaps the most innovative project that brought 3D printing into mainstream construction – which if successful it undoubtedly will do.
“It could be ego driven, it could be legacy driven, but if I am going to leave the world anything, I’m hoping that perhaps this might be my little niche,” Kushner told us.
Surely one would wonder, how in the world a project this large, and this unique would be permitted for building in New York, with the lack of history that 3D printing has in the construction industry. Surprisingly, it has already been permitted, and it was actually a relatively simple process. “There was a form I had to fill out, and it asked for ‘method of construction’,” explained Kushner.
On the application, there were 3 options; wood, steel, and masonry. Kushner created his own forth option called “3D Printed”, and checked it. He sent it into the city department of buildings, and he was granted a permit. When the inspector came out to see the site and the site plans, he didn’t bat an eye….
One of Enrico Dini’s large 3D printers, similar to the one that Kushner will be using and modifying. (image source: d-shape)
To overcome some of these issues, Kushner has several ideas which he plans to potentially use. They include the possibility of adding fiber, aluminum strands, or even Brillo pad-like steel shavings into the concrete mixture in order to add tensile strength to the printed structure.
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!
Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!
The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! We also offer the LulzBot TAZ – Open source 3D Printer and the Printrbot Simple Metal 3D Printer in our store. If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!
