South Africa has taken a significant step towards solving the issue of low-cost housing by completing its first 3D-printed construction home.
The 3D printing technology used in the project is capable of building a house in less than 24 hours.
The technology is expected to become part of the building practices in South Africa to help address the country’s social housing backlog.
The 3D construction printing for sustainable human developments pilot project was unveiled at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Doornfontein Campus.
The initiative is funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and implemented by UJ’s Faculty of Civil Engineering and the Built Environment, in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Human Settlements and AfriSam.
The university’s 3D printing machine, worth R6 million, printed a model of an RDP house in eight hours, as compared to the months it typically takes to construct a house.
The use of 3D printing is now being considered a cost-saving and fast option to construct government-subsidized houses.
According to Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, UJ’s outgoing vice-chancellor and principal, the 3D-printed house is designed with strict adherence to the best practices of thermodynamics.
The use of 3D printing is expected to be part of a mix of solutions needed to address South Africa’s housing backlog.
The urban housing backlog in South Africa exceeds 2.4 million houses, with many families still living in informal housing.
According to Stats SA, there are 2,600 informal settlements in South Africa, which accommodate 1.4 million households.
While South Africa has the potential to deliver more than 160,000 and 80,000 homes per year in the government-subsidized and private sectors, respectively, the delivery of government-subsidized houses has been dropping at an alarming rate since 2009.
Professor Marwala believes projects such as the 3D printing housing project have the potential to deal with the contradictions between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, which are a key fixture of the South African landscape.
The 3D-printed house is stronger than traditional housing and can sustain fire better than traditional housing.
Professor Marwala also suggested scaling up the project so that it can deal with the housing backlog that South African society faces. The project aims to end informal settlements by providing better housing.
The South African government has led several 3D printing initiatives and proofs of concept, as it prioritizes the modernization of some sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, mining, and construction.
The 3D construction printing project at UJ is part of this plan, according to Dr. Blade Nzimande, the higher education, science, and innovation minister.
The state is also prioritizing the use of science, technology, and innovation in addressing day-to-day challenges, including in the provision of quality housing.
The low-cost housing challenge led the DSI to appoint UJ’s School of Civil Engineering and the Built Environment to undertake the research project on 3D construction printing technologies and pilot the technology in the construction of housing.
The KZN Department of Human Settlements has committed to providing serviced sites for the demonstration and building of ten houses in Ethekwini Municipality.
