Early Saul leiter

Why isn’t 3D-printing a part of the contemporary building industry?

Michela: ‘I admit that there are still lots of cons to 3D-printing as a manufacturing method. Besides from the costs, which are still too high, the techniques aren’t sufficient as well. This manifests itself in a low reliability of the final product.’ Paul: ‘Moreover the general process of the building industry is highly fragmented. That makes innovation quite difficult. You have to get all the partners in line to adopt the new technology. And like Michela said; the safety can’t get certified yet. The building industry wants to avoid every possible risk and that’s understandable. When the safety has been optimized and we offer enough advantages and knowledge to the building industry I am convinced that 3D-printing will take over the world. I have no idea how long this is going to take though.

I can imagine this lab feels like a playground to you. What’s the weirdest thing you have ever 3D-printed?

Paul: ‘I once printed a Mandalorian Star Wars bracelet. It was made for the son of a friend, he was very happy with it. A few days ago the University Library asked me to print two chess pieces that went missing. Actually we’re printing a lot of weird stuff.’ Michela: ‘I can’t beat the Star Wars bracelet, but I remember there was a Master student who wanted to print a pure form of wood. He converted this into some kind of paste. It shows the creativity that 3D-printing induces.’

‘I once printed a Mandalorian Star Wars bracelet’

Paul, besides your work here in the printlab you also give lectures and workshops to students. How do you abstract your knowledge in such a way that the students can understand?

Paul: ‘The best way to explain stuff is to keep it as simple as possible. It’s really easy to make it difficult by using all the terms, but then everyone would be asleep after five minutes. The essentials are actually pretty simple and at the same time the most important. I would also like to mention something else. The 3D-printlab is open for everyone. We’re not a facility like the ‘maquettehal’ where you can just drop by and let them print your model, but if you have a cool idea we’re more than happy to share our knowledge, doesn’t matter if you’re a first year Bachelor or a Master student. Knowledge generation is our primary goal and we’re all nerds, so we love to develop a good or weird idea.’

‘Knowledge generation is our primary goal’

How would you abstract the craft architecture into one sentence?

Michela: ‘Integrating different perspectives and a lot of expertise to come to a design which shows a social understanding of how to use spaces and delivers an enjoyable experience for the occupants.’ Paul: ‘Creating a well thought of and well-engineered environment where the architect clearly takes his responsibility for the users of the design.’

I thank Paul and Michela for the interview. Beforehand by mail Paul had offered me to print a piece of my OV3-model. We walk to one of the smaller printers and he explains how to insert the right material before starting the print. ‘It probably takes an hour or so. If you come back after one and a half it should be finished.’ I thank Paul once again and walk out of the lab.

Full of high expectations I enter the 3D-printlab. I walk to the printer, but there’s nothing to see. It should be finished then, I think. ‘Hey Raf,’ Paul makes his way over from the other side of the lab, ‘something went wrong with the construction paste. I’ll try again tomorrow.’ In his hand I see a broken and deformed piece of my model. The icon of a developing technique. //

SOURCES

PHOTO MICHELA - https://www.instagram.com/p/BwgvLPkFciR/

OTHER PHOTOS - Bart Claver and Cathy Floris

1 Design Informatics. (z.d.). Retrieved Decembre 5, 2019, from http:// designinformatics.bk.tudelft.nl/index.php?page=faculty 2 Koslow, T. (2019, 9 november). 2019 Greatest 3D Printed Houses, Buildings & Structures. Retrieved Decembre 1, 2019, from https:// all3dp.com/1/3d-printed-house-homes-buildings-3d-printing-construction/ 3 Staff. (z.d.). Retrieved Decembre 1, 2019, from https://www.tudelft. nl/staff/p.deruiter/ 4 Starr, M. (2015, 19 januari). World’s first 3D-printed apartment building constructed in China. Retrieved Decembre 3, 2019, van https:// www.cnet.com/news/worlds-first-3d-printed-apartment-buildingconstructed-in-china/ 5 Turrin, M. (z.d.). Michela Turrin - Linkedin. Retrieved Decembre 2, 2019, van https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelaturrin/?challengeId=AQHnZbj1KO_sRgAAAW9NpDdMbdynu4HuR3d2rTkH1TRsxNN8_K4g7DkBVNefK6StJDoWuw07lnpDc_9NSN-5ZJB32MY1CPtHiw&submissi onId=beb3cdd6-769a-e415-8a52-af5f56e54d05