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Nanyang Technological University's (NTU Singapore) start-up Blacksmith Group today launched the world's first compact 3D printer that can also scan items into digitised models.
Named the Blacksmith Genesis, this user-friendly device allows users without much knowledge of 3D software to scan any item, then edit the digitised model on the computer and print it out in 3D.
— sciencedaily.com
Funded through an Indiegogo campaign, the printer-scanner contains a 2-inch LCD display, Wi-Fi capabilities, an SD-card reader and a USB connection (but only weighs 6kg). The device utilizes a unique rotary platform and can print objects twice as large as similar-sized printers currently... View full entry
"Textscape" by interdisciplinary artist and University of Hawaii at Manoa educator Hongtao Zhou is a visually engaging work of 3D text documents that nods to one of the Four Great Inventions of Ancient China: printing. The letter-sized documents examine how the role of printing has shifted from... View full entry
These sorts of structural deformations are not new — researchers have already demonstrated “memory” and “smart material” properties. One of the most popular technologies is known as shape memory alloy, where a change of temperature triggers a shape change. Other successful approaches use electroactive polymers, pressurised fluids or gasses, chemical stimulus and even in response to light. — kurzweilai.net
One of my heroes for this kind of thinking is Denise Scott-Brown. Her application of historical, ethnographic and sociological thinking to urban design and architecture is still incredibly radical, but has been completely overwhelmed by Venturi’s obsession with signs and language. — Failed Architecture
"Automated design processes, critique on the profession’s culture, DIY-design and wider trends put pressure on the social and public relevance of the architect. On the other hand, architects are crossing boundaries, taking up new roles and experimenting with other approaches, while other... View full entry
Zaha Hadid: Code is the programming arm of the renowned Zaha Hadid Architecture, a firm known for it's sleek, futuristic designs. During the ACADIA workshop, the designers chose to focus on the task of developing unique, computationally derived models to 3D print within the tight three day timeframe of the workshop. For architecture firms like Zaha Hadid, these workshops serve as playgrounds and testbeds for technologies. — formlabs.com
Sunday, October 12:A classic American look, feng shui notwithstanding: Investigating the impact of wealthy Chinese immigrants on suburban Seattle's real estate boom.Saturday, October 11:Indiana Ponders Abolishing Licensing for Architects: Part of a state-wide reconsideration of more than "... View full entry
The aptly named Quake Column is a knurled pillar of 3-D printed concrete that combines an ancient Incan masonry technique with state-of-the-art manufacturing tools to create a structure that can withstand seismic shocks without mortar or rebar. [...]
It’s an interesting proof of concept, but utilizing a 3-D printer, rather than traditional ceramic manufacturing technique also unlocked a host of other advantages.
— wired.com
Architects and builders all over the world seem to be participating in a fictional rat race to build the very first 3D-printed house. In the past five years we’ve seen quite some drawings and models of 3D-printed architecture, but only few architects have the printers running until now. In this article we’ll compare five of the most prominent 3D-printing initiatives in the world to find out what 3D-printed architecture has in store for the coming years. — popupcity.net
In partnership with 3D Systems, Arup used 3-D printers capable of fusing powdered steel to replace the clunky, welded assemblage of plates that made up the original design. The result is a streamlined part: 15-percent lighter than its conventionally fabricated forebear and 1,000 times cooler-looking. — wired.com
A team of researchers from Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia are working on another solution: A swarm of tiny robots that could cover the construction site of the future, quickly and cheaply building greener buildings of any size. [...]
"The robots can work simultaneously while performing different tasks, and having a fixed size they can create objects of virtually any scale, as far as material properties permit”
— fastcoexist.com
Check out the Minibuilders in action below: View full entry
A fully automated mobile platform for 3D printing capable of producing objects of limitless scale does not currently exist.
In the hope of remedying this situation, Gensler’s Los Angeles office initiated Mobile 3D Printing, a Gensler research project born from an observation of present-day 3D printing technology and its limitations.
— gensleron.com
Super-starchitect Lord Norman Foster and his friends at the European Space Agency stunned the world last year with a plan to build a lunar base by 3D-printing it with moon dust. But what happens when you try something like that on Earth? How is 3D printing changing the way we build cities?
I got the chance to ask Foster just that question at the Center for Architecture in New York City last night.
— gizmodo.com
Previously on Archinect: Foster + Partners works with European Space Agency to 3D print structures on the moon View full entry
Some writers and people who talk about 3D printing get over-enthused. Most of the stuff they talk about will happen someday—eventually. But there’s the here-and-now and the near-term future, where a lot of that stuff is definitely hype and won’t happen. I’m very steeped into what can happen in the relatively near term. So I just tend not to pay too much attention when the hype gets too obscure. — qz.com
...the little structures will remind you of every last thing: foreclosed houses...the Olympic stadium in Beijing...the Colosseum, the crumbling ruins next door to the Colosseum. Each building maps a path through Tihanyi's mind, and yours. You visit every teeny room...climb every ladder...Then you return to your big self, looking down on layers of sheen and pale color emanating from the surfaces, as if layers of translucent skin have been laid on top of flesh. How could you not love these? — Jen Graves writing for The Stranger
Art critic Jen Graves (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize ultimately won by Inga Saffron) reviews the tiny building-like constructions made by artist Timea Tihanyis. But while architecture aficionados will find these little structures initially reminiscent of 3D printed models, their laborious... View full entry
Chinese companies have been known to build major real-estate projects very quickly. Now, one company is taking it to a new extreme.
Suzhou-based construction-materials firm Winsun New Materials says it has built 10 200-square-meter homes using a gigantic 3-D printer that it spent 20 million yuan ($3.2 million) and 12 years developing.
— blogs.wsj.com
