I have a question for you – how many custom 3D printed pieces does it take to build an architectural wall? Don’t sweat too much, the answer is 222, in fact I gave you a hint in advance! Big Bad Wolf will need a little bit more than a huff-and-puff to bring down this custom Endograft installation, which hopes to influence how we do up our interiors.
All of the 222 custom pieces were built by Smith|Allen Studio on Series 1 3D printers from Type a Machines. Seen more as an interior partition than a wall, the installation serves as a testing platform of what we can expect to do with such concepts in the future. The process not only intrigues the software industry – to explore different sustainable patterns and shapes, it also reinforces the efforts of the hardware industry – to help manufacture cost-effective and durable components.
It took the designers a good 38 days to print all of the components and the print time spanned from 6-12 hours for each part. Now, the reason why the Three Little Pigs can feel safe behind the Endograft is that each component consists of two sets of connection details unique to 3D printing. This allows strong load bearing connections to be forged between minimally filled parts, resulting in optimized print time and a strong part.
This particular installation is a translucent white enclosure spanning 10 x 10 x 8 feet. Quoting Smith|Allen studio, since the pieces of the architecture are modular and deployable, you can transport them to any destination and assemble the wall in under an hour. The bigger question here is: are we going to stay limited to the wall or is there something more we can do the interiors of our homes and offices using this tech? I say, why don’t we think of the ceiling and print some fancy moldings for the false roof or as picture frame. C’mon guys take a dab at it, tell me where else can you use this tech to beautify your home!
