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An environment-friendly, sustainable home made from locally sourced raw earth using 3D printing technology could be a potential solution for addressing the shortage of affordable housing in the world today.
Italian architecture practice Mario Cucinella Architects (MC A) has collaborated with leading 3D printing specialists WASP to create a prototype for a 3D printed habitat. Named TECLA (from technology and clay), the eco-sustainable home is a new carbon-neutral circular housing model created entirely from recyclable materials sourced from the local terrain, and adaptable to any climate or context.
Designed by MC A and engineered by WASP, TECLA will be the first house to be completely 3D printed using locally sourced clay – a ‘km 0 material’, which will effectively make the building zero waste. Built using Crane WASP – the latest innovation in onsite 3D construction, TECLA represents a revolutionary development in the shift to eco-housing
TECLA, 3D Printed Habitat by WASP and Mario Cucinella Architects. Image Cortesía de WASP
The TECLA project, in particular, required 200 hours of printing, 7,000 machine codes (G code), 350 layers of 12 mm, 150 km of extrusion, 60 cubic meters of raw earth, and an average consumption of less than 6 kW. Inspired by the potter wasp, the prototype lays the foundations for the future creation of increasingly efficient and massive sustainable habitats, representing, according to Mario Cucinella, a paradigm shift in the field of architecture, meeting the needs of people and finding an answer for the Earth within the earth . A collaboration that becomes the union between empathic architecture and the application of new technologies.