Students at Drury University got the chance to design and 3D-print concrete walls this week. Their work was assessed at a special event on Monday.
The event came as part of a partnership with Eden Village, which operates two tiny home communities and plans to use 3D printing to build its next set of duplexes.
One of Eden Village’s two 3D printers is currently on Drury’s campus where staff have honed it in and built structures to test resilience to water and wind and practice injecting insulation.
At the same time, students got the chance to learn the software, mix concrete and build a small wall all on their own.
If all continues to go well, the large square steel framework of the 3D printer will be disassembled and moved to the site of Eden Village Three where it will be used to print 12 duplexes with 24 units directly onsite.
Traci Sooter is a Professor of Architecture at Drury and sits on the board for Eden village. Sooter is behind the partnership, and she is also director of Drury University’s Design-Build program, an annual student driven design project. Next semester, Sooter plans for her students to design and build a complete 3D printed structure.