VP Venkaiah Naidu visits India's first 3D-printed house at IIT Madras

India's first 3D-printed house built on an area of about 600 square feet was built at the campus of IIT Madras

More than two months after it was inaugurated, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday visited India's first 3D printed house built at an area of about 600 square feet at the campus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M).

Constructed by Tvasta, a deep tech start-up founded by IIT-M alumni, the 'Concrete 3D Printing' technology is expected to serve as a major boost to affordable construction in India as it significantly reduces, cost, time and utilizes eco-friendly materials.

Naidu, who is here on a 4-day trip, visited the single-storey house at the IIT-M campus. The house was formally inaugurated by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on April 27.

Tvasta’s ‘Concrete 3D Printing’ is an automated manufacturing method for constructing three-dimensional real-life structures (at all realizable scales).

The technique uses a concrete 3D Printer that accepts a computerised three-dimensional design file from the user and fabricates a 3D structure in a layer-by-layer manner by extruding a specialised type of concrete specifically designed for the purpose, the company said.

After the visit, Naidu said education should go beyond classroom programmes and inculcate a holistic approach to problem-solving among students.

“If there is one thing to learn from the pandemic for educational institutions, it is to encourage students to be proactive, think critically and adapt quickly to the fast-changing world. Going forward, IITs must identify various focus areas for technological intervention in our country, keeping in view the national priorities and local relevance,” he said.

A successful industry-institute partnership can play a huge role in making new technologies like 3D printing scalable and bring them into wider public use, he added.

Building a house through this technology takes just five days against the conventional method of four to six months. The house was developed in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter.

The 3D printed house has a functional space comprising of a single bedroom, hall, and kitchen, with the entire ensemble being designed, developed, and realized by Tvasta’s indigenous ‘Concrete 3D Printing’ technology.

Tvasta’s primary market would be the Indian subcontinent with the focus on providing construction-related 3D Printing services and solutions for such Government welfare programs.

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