Kerala's first 3D-printed building, a 380 sq ft one-room summer cottage, will be officially inaugurated on the Kerala State Nirmithi Kendra (Kesnik) campus in PTP Nagar in Thiruvananthapuram on October 10. The summer home, known as AMAZE-28, was built in 28 days as a demonstration project. Tvasta, a Chennai-based construction tech start-up founded by IIT-Madras alumnus, completed the project, and Kesnik has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with them. On the Kesnik campus, AMAZE-28 stands on a concrete platform above a small hill. Febi Varghese, director and CEO of Kesnik, stated that it was the first 3D-printed building in Kerala.
Tvasta employed a proprietary concrete mix as the construction material for its 3D-printing structures. It is deposited layer by layer with the help of a robotic arm with a nozzle at its tip. A three-dimensional computer representation of the building guides the arm. The construction of the demonstration project cost Rs. 11 lakh. The structure's roof use traditional building technologies.
Kesnik and Tvasta have other projects in the works for the future. In fact, since the summer house's construction began on August 2, Kesnik has been inundated with people interested in this technology. Mr. Varghese stated that the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) had already contacted the Kerala government agency. Tvasta's future projects in Kerala include a bus passenger waiting shed at Vattiyurkavu, a security cabin and two bus shelters at the VSSC, and a project for the Kerala Startup Mission. NIMS Medicity also unveiled plans for a 3D-printed museum-café complex in August.
On October 10, Kerala Revenue Minister K. Rajan will formally open the structure. Aditya V.S., CEO of Tvasta, will give a presentation about the project. Roshy Augustine, Minister of Water Resources, will preside.
