Tanzania: They plan to construct about 50 3D-earth printed buildings

Today, the construction industry is characterized by the continuously increasing use of 3D-printing technology. Therefore, 3D-printing technology has seen substantial advancements. Until recently, engineers used concrete or similar materials for the 3D-printed structures, but due to climate crisis and the amount of CO₂ emissions of the concrete they are seeking more sustainable materials to achieve the same result of stability and durability.

For the above purpose, they are experimenting with constructing 3D-printed buildings using earth. In Tanzania, specifically in Kibaha, architects are planning to construct the Hope village, a 3D-earth-printing village to provide to approximately 480 unfortune children school facilities, accommodation, childcare, skills training areas, farming and livestock areas. Their goal is to build 50 buildings to accommodate all the above.

To achieve this project, which should be cost-effective, they decided to use locally sourced earth inspired by the project that was completed in Spain in 2023 by The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). IAAC has prototyped walls up to 2 meters high. The architectures in Tanzania are planning to print walls made from soil within 25 kilometers of the site and reinforced with a wire mesh. However, they will not be bearing any loads as its roof will be supported by a metal structure from interlocking timber with a metal sheet around it. Moreover, they have designed the walls to be able to allow light and air to pass through.

It should be noted that the main challenge that engineers must surpass with 3D-earth printed structures is the difficulty of ensuring the necessary durability. However, the architects of Hope village believe that their design is effective. Also, with the cantilevered roof, they have ensured that the walls will have an extra protection from rain as it was proven at TOVA project in Spain.

The construction will be completed with the aid of Crane WASP printing system, and it will cost approximately $173,000, while the plan is to educate locals to use the printer for future construction. In all, the Hope village construction is about to start early in 2025 and is anticipated to be, as the Tova project, a model for future projects in the same area.