Sep 15, 2016 | By Alec
3D printing obviously has many advantages, but energy efficiency is one that is rarely mentioned. In fact, depending on the application and scale, 3D printing produces far few carbon emissions than many other manufacturing options. In an attempt to harness that advantage, the luxurious Dutch Hotel De Slaapfabriek from Teuge is planning to build a unique, 3D printed and zero-footprint conference location that provides a highly inspiring and modern environment. Construction is scheduled to kick off in July 2017, and could be completed in as little as ten days. If successful, it could pave the way for a new environmentally-friendly construction 3D printing paradigm.
This forthcoming structure could not have picked a more inspiring location in the Netherlands. De Slaapfabriek is a luxurious experience hotel in Teuge, The Netherlands (very near to International Airport Teuge in Gelderland). With unique twelve rooms available to clients, it’s a premier location for honeymoons and business trips. Since opening its doors in 2009, De Slaapfabriek has also won award after award, and currently boasts a Booking.com appreciation score of 9.3. The only thing that’s missing is a conference location, and when necessary the luxury breakfast and lounge area is transformed into a conference room. But this is not the best solution, and founders Arvid and Marjo Prigge developed an ambitious plan: to construct a completely new, environmentally-friendly conference location.
This quickly put them on the path of the 3D printing, and the concept for the structure was worked out during the Dutch Construction Hackathon in May 2016. During the event, various startups and innovators from the construction industry worked together to pioneer ‘smart solutions’. The only demands were that the structure would be iconic, sustainable and affordable.
Bouwend en Innovatief Nederland accepted the challenge, and designed a truly modern and inspiring concept: an iconic structure that provides an adaptive and high-tech environment to trainers, coaches and management teams, which is sustainable and clean at the same time. “Remarkable moments will really stick with you, it’s all about experience, sensations and feeling. Can we transform today’s bland office space into a truly inspiring environment?” they wondered.
Al in all, the design takes full advantage of the manufacturing freedom of 3D printing, and various construction partners and the local municipality are all onboard with the plan. The interior will also be as modern as it can be, featuring innovative video content that can set up various ‘moods’ throughout the building. Together with sound and smell effects, a unique and programmable environment is created.
Owners Marjo and Arvid were very pleasantly surprised by the design, and are currently preparing to realize their dream with the help of Hugo Jager (of Revelating.nl). And 3D printing will play a crucial role in keeping this structure environmentally friendly. “Did you know that 3D printing can be used to reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent, while reducing construction waste by 75 percent? This technology seamlessly aligns to our wishes and demands for building this conference location extension to De Slaapfabriek,” the owners explained.
They are further planning to keep construction energy neutral and to 3D print with recycled waste materials. If successful, this will become the first 3D printed zero-footprint structure in Europe. If all things go according to plan, the 90m2 boardroom-level structure will be 3D printed over the course of ten days.
The only obstacle right now is a financial one, with building costs expected to reach around €375,000 (approximately $420,000). While various stakeholders will cover a portion of the sum, De Slaapfabriek has also opened a crowdfunding opportunity through NLInvesteert – allowing private investors to provide €1,000 eight-year loans with 8 percent interest.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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