A hotel owner in the Philippines has 3D printed an entire suite — jacuzzi and all.
It goes without saying that 3D printing will revolutionize architecture. However, despite recent projects that range from a 3D-printed estate in New York to an apartment building in China, none of these structures have actually been put to use for residential or commercial purposes. That was until now. First reported by 3DPrint.com, the Lewis Grand Hotel in Angeles City, Pampanga is now home to the very first 3D-printed suite in not just the Philippines, but the world.
The idea to 3D print an entire room was proposed to hotel owner Lewis Yakich by none other than 3D printing specialist Andrey Rudenko, who you may recall from his 3D-printed castle. The 1,500-square-foot suite features two bedrooms, a living room and a spa with its very own 3D-printed jacuzzi, of course.
“The Philippines is actually a great place for concrete printing because of the weather,” Yakich tells 3DPrint.com. “Currently everything is made out of concrete, and it’s a third-world country so it can do a lot of good in disaster zones, etc.”
Construction of the 3D-printed space has been completed, measuring approximately 35 feet x 41 feet with 10-foot ceilings. In total, the project took roughly 100 hours to print, though not continuous due to the installation of plumbing, wiring and such.
Yakich, who also happens to be a material science engineer, worked with Rudenko in designing the massive 3D printer that spews out a mixture of sand and volcanic ash. While it took two months to develop the first printer, they believe the method can now be replicated to build it in about two weeks. According to 3DPrint.com, the machine has been created in such a way that it can easily be assembled or disassembled and then moved to another location.
It should be noted that this is only the beginning of Yakich’s plans to introduce 3D-printed, fully-functional buildings throughout the Philippines. He has, in fact, secured permission from the government to build 200 living quarters for low-income families, which is made possible by the 60% cost savings of 3D printing opposed to traditional methods of construction. He even hopes that this number will grow to 2,000 houses in the coming years.
“I plan to roll over some of the cost savings of using a 3D printer to give a more quality house for the low-income homes. It would be great if I could give them all mini mansions! The people here would go nuts over my homes,” he adds.
As for the printer itself, even despite its size, it still uses the same Arduino Mega (ATmega2560) and software that you’d find in many of today’s more popular desktop devices. The RepRap-inspired unit boasts large motors that enable it to extrude layers 30mm wide and 10mm tall. Want to see more? Be sure to check out Rudenko’s official page, or watch the mesmerizing 3D printer in action below!
[h/t 3DPrint.com]
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