Tim Monteverde

Architectural Technology BSc(Hons)

Printing New Beginnings

This research project proposes a design prototype which incorporates the use of 3D printing technology, in order to create affordable, sustainable housing that could be built on a mass scale, quickly and without the need for a large workforce. The prototype design is aimed to improve the living standards of some of the most poverty strucken places of the world because good housing is a key step in bringing a person out of poverty. An example site has been used, based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This was done in order to show the application of the prototype. This site is very similar to many others and the same prototype would not have to be changed greatly in order for it to be recreated across the region.

The result of this project is a combination of architectural and technological solutions used in order to propose a prototype design that  demonstrates the potential of 3D printing technology applied to housing projects and used to close the poverty gap. This project could be developed further to other building types such as schools, or to explore more efficient farming resources to use in 3D printing buildings.