Dutch couple are Europe’s first inhabitants of a 3D-printed house:
The south Netherlands property, made by 3D printing a specially formulated cement through a nozzle on a robotic arm, is inspired by the shape of a boulder – a design difficult and expensive to construct using traditional methods, writes The Guardian.
While properties have been partly constructed via 3D printing in France and the US, the Dutch home is said to be the first “legally habitable and commercially rented property where the load-bearing walls have been made using a 3D printer nozzle.”
It is the first of five 3D-printed houses planned by construction firm Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix for a plot of land by the Beatrix canal.
“It is beautiful,” said owner Elize Lutz. “It has the feel of a bunker – it feels safe,” added co-owner Harrie Dekkers.
The house consists of 24 concrete elements printed offsite before transported by lorry and placed on a foundation by Dutch building firm Van Wijnen. A roof and window frames were fitted, and finishing touches applied.
Details of the construction are visible in the final product, for example, the point at which the 3D printer’s nozzle head had to be changed after hours of operation is visible in the pattern of the new bungalow’s walls, as are small errors in the cement.
By the time the fifth of the homes is built – with three floors and three bedrooms – it is hoped construction will be completed wholly on-site and various other installations will also be made using the printer, further reducing costs.
The 3D printing method is seen by many within the construction industry as a way to cut costs and environmental damage by reducing the amount of cement that is used.
People’s odds of loneliness could fall by up to half if cities hit 30% green space targets:
One in four Australians feel lonely on three or more days a week, write Thomas Astell-Burt (University of Wollongong) and Xiaoqi Feng (UNSW).
However, their recent study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology has found that adults in neighbourhoods where at least 30% of nearby land is parks, reserves and woodlands have 26% lower odds of become lonely – compared to peers in areas with less than 10% green space.
For people living on their own, the associations were even greater – in areas with 30% or more green space the odds of becoming lonely halved.
This is good news for cities around the world such as Barcelona, Canberra, Seattle and Vancouver, which have targets of 30% green cover.
It’s even better for residents of the City of Sydney and the City of Melbourne, with targets of 40% green cover by 2050 and 2040.
Street Furniture Australia’s entire product range and manufacturing operation has received carbon neutral certification through Climate Active™. Achieving carbon neutral certification marks a significant milestone in our operation and the culmination of a four year long process of detailed measurement and analysis. Climate Active™ is the only Australian government-backed carbon neutral certification programme for businesses to measure, reduce, and offsets their carbon emissions. It is one of the most rigorous carbon-neutral programs in the world. An approved Emissions Reduction Strategy (ERS) is central to achieving certification through Climate Active. Street Furniture Australia has elected to use SBTi validated science-based targets to ensure their ERS is meaningful and aligns with the 2015 Paris Agreement – to limit global temperature rises to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. For those emissions that can’t be …
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With the look and feel of natural timber, backed by 12 months of performance testing for the public realm, engineered wood joins Street Furniture Australia’s selection of batten materials. Designers and place custodians can now choose from three batten options to achieve a timber look: natural Spotted Gum hardwood, low maintenance aluminium Wood Without Worry, and engineered wood known as Onewood HRT. See our Engineered Wood: Onewood HRT brochure or book a presentation. What is engineered wood?Onewood HRT (Homogeneous Reconstituted Timber) is a solid engineered timber, made from fast-growing FSC certified poplar and eucalyptus fibres that are compressed under heat and pressure with a resin binder. It is solid throughout with an organic grain and, like real hardwood, can be sanded to refresh. Street Furniture Australia partners with a Singapore-based …
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Toronto swaps Google-backed ‘smart’ city plans for people-centred vision: Canada’s largest city has moved towards affordability, sustainability and environmentally-friendly design in a new vision for the Quayside waterfront – a year on from parting with Google-affiliated Sidewalk Labs. Waterfront Toronto launched an international competition in March to secure a new development partner for the Quayside lands, to build “a sustainable community for people of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and incomes.” The Quayside development will provide “market and affordable housing options for individuals and families. It will offer opportunities for aging in place, including the supports and amenities that will allow seniors to live independently. Inclusive economic development opportunities will create jobs and spaces for business owners that reflect Toronto’s diversity,” they write. The call for new proposals comes nearly a year after the Sidewalk Labs partnership was called off, a “stinging defeat” reports …
#ChooseToChallenge: landscape architects interviewed for International Women’s Day The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects has published a series of interviews with inspirational female Landscape Architects from around the world to celebrate their leadership in both industry and gender equity. Hear from the likes of Martha Schwartz, Kirsten Bauer, Mary Bowman, and Catherin Bull, to name a few. Find out about their career journey, how they have been supported along the way, and tips on combating gender issues. Go to AILA’s IWD series. The downside of the 15-minute city The 15-minute city concept, in which residents live within a short walk or bike ride of all their daily needs, has been embraced by many mayors around the world during the global pandemic as a central planning tenet. However applying this model to North American cities may …
