LafargeHolcim is inviting the world’s engineering, architecture, and material science students to "reinvent the building industry" by submitting ideas for designs and construction methods for a two-story, 3D printed concrete house.
€15,000 in prizes are on offer in the "hackathon", which the company says could lead to more effective and efficient housing construction.
Involved in the event, which concludes with a live showdown in March 2021, are the prestigious technical school, Ecole des Ponts in Paris, Dutch engineering consultancy Witteveen+Bos, and Danish 3D printing company, Cobod.
LafargeHolcom says 3D printing can help in a world where 1.6 billion lack adequate housing and where the building and construction sector accounts for 40% of global CO2 emissions.
"3D printing has proven to have the potential to disrupt the construction industry, as we’ve already shown in several pilot projects around the world," said Marijn Bruurs, digital construction consultant at Witteveen+Bos.Â
"However, to really change the industry over the next decade we need to further develop the technology and solutions. We need challenging ideas and we have to work together."
Throughout the contest, international experts will hold webinars and conferences.
LafargeHolcim will provide material for students to use, and technical mentorship. At the end, it will help the winning team print its project at full scale.
"3D printing redefines the built environment, shaping a naturally sustainable material with precision and real-time feedback for collaborating architects, engineers and specialists," said Erwin Viray, Head of the Architecture Sustainable Design Pillar at Singapore University of Design.
Participants can register here.
Image: Peri is creating Germany’s first 3D printed house in Beckum, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Render by Menske-Korte ingenieure+architekten)
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