WATCH: University of Johannesburg students build 3D RDP house
Is 3D printing technology the future for South Africa?
Researchers at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) have developed a 3D printing technique to build Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) homes in a day.
This is all thanks to the UJ school of engineering and the built environment's pilot project. This is for the national science and innovation department to possibly investigate the use of 3D printing in the construction of RDP houses.
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This 3D Printer at the University of Johannesburg is fast. If we invest in this technology..,we can provide our people with decent housing fast and end informality. https://t.co/LnXp9nyHsE pic.twitter.com/ZXoWsFfZCm
— Tshilidzi Marwala (@txm1971) May 30, 2022
UJ vice-chancellor and principal Tshilidzi Marwala was impressed with the efforts made by the researchers to build and use such vast technology.
Marwala also mentioned that a house could be printed in as little as five hours. This is, of course, dependent on where the house is located and the thickness of the walls.
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If we invest in this technology, we can provide our people with decent housing fast and end informality
According to the cost analysis from a UJ quantity surveyor, the wall plates or block work in the construction could cost around 32% less than conventional building methods.
According to Ohio University, 3D printed buildings are typically made from a mix of concrete, fibre, sand, and geopolymers.
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There are also some projects that are fully bio-degradable. These materials include, mud, soil, straw, and rice husks.
