3D PRINTED HOME A GO

Curve Appeal, designed by integrated design firm Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo, has successfully won the Branch Technology's Freeform Home Design Challenge and will now have their conceptual vision brought to life by Branch Technology.

The Branch Technology's Freeform Home Design Challenge was targeted towards architects, designers, engineers and artists, inviting them to design a 56-74sqm single-family home that rethinks traditional aesthetics, ergonomics, construction, building systems and structure.

Branch Technology required participants to propose conceptual solutions that addressed a number of aspects of the home. Chief among these aspects under consideration were structure, material applications and fenestration. Conditions for the interior were also subject to scrutiny, with each entry requiring a kitchen, bath, living area and one bedroom to be included. Internal building systems also needed to be addressed including mechanical, electrical, plumbing and lighting requirements while also allowing for passive solar design strategies.

The design of Curve Appeal consists of two main components, an interior core designed to act as a support structure, and an exterior skin derived from simple yet carefully calculated archways that are designed to blend the structure into the site to allow it to sit organically within its surroundings.

The house will be constructed of 28 individual panels that will be 3D-printed off-site by Branch Technology. The open and light filled interior living spaces are designed to shelter its occupants from the elements using passive strategies, while still allowing them to feel connected to its exterior spaces and nature itself.

Branch Technology has developed its own mix of plastic and carbon fibre that can be printed into a ‘self-supporting cellular matrix’ which it will use to create the housing panels. Once assembled, the panels will be welded together to produce a continuous surface before expanding spray foam and concrete are added to the surface to increase its strength and to form a weather barrier. The large sections of glazing that will be incorporated into the interior design will also minimise the need for artificial lighting.

According to Branch Technology Founder, Platt Boyd, “Curve Appeal is a very thoughtful approach to the design of our first [3D] house. It responds well to the site conditions, magnifies the possibilities of cellular fabrication and pushes the envelope of what is possible while still utilising more economical methods for conventional building systems integration.”

Construction of WATG’s winning design will be undertaken by Branch Technology next year at their lab in Chattanooga, Tennessee.