The Italian 3D-printing firm, World’s Advanced Saving Project (WASP), has been working on quite a few clay and straw shelter projects, but its latest project is a 3D-printed hut, known as Gaia, made mainly from a mud mixture for approximately $1,000, according to New Atlas.
Gaia’s mud mixture is a combination of 25 percent soil from the build site in Italy, 40 percent straw, 25 percent rice husk and 10 percent lime. The mixture is used for the walls, but the roof is made from timber and the foundation is made from 3D-printed concrete.
In collaboration with a firm called Rice House, WASP used the same 3D printer used on previous projects. The process involved extruding the mud mixture out of a nozzle in layers, while building the structure up slowly.
The hut contains a window and glazed door, and is 215 sq. ft. inside the hut. The wood and clay finish give the hut an appealing aesthetic look inside.
Interior of Gaia. Credit: WASP
WASP reported the hut is well insulated and will do well in the heat and cold.
Gaia took about ten days to build, and currently does not contain any furniture, a bathroom or bedroom. The $1,000 budget includes the materials, but not any labor costs. In response, WASP is developing a new strategy to build the homes in select developing countries to keep costs down and speed up the process.
Filed Under: 3D printing • additive manufacturing • stereolithography, Rapid prototyping
