Montana is the first U.S. state to give broad regulatory approval for 3D printing in building construction.
State regulators have approved 3D printed walls as an equal replacement for walls made with concrete masonry units or a standard cored concrete block assembly. The action came after a contractor based in Billings, Montana, filed documents, specifications, and testing reports developed by Apis Cor, a Florida-based construction technology company that holds the Guinness World Record for the largest 3D printed building.
The contractor sought permission to use Apis Cor’s 3D printed process and equipment for a housing development project in Billings and for projects in other areas of the state. Apis Cor says that the cost of a finished home printed with one of its printers can be constructed for up to 30% less than traditionally built concrete block or wood-framed homes.
Regulatory approval for 3D printing applies to all types of construction that follows the state building code. It is not limited to single-family dwellings.
Related Stories
| Feb 2, 2012
Call for Entries: 2012 Building Team Awards. Deadline March 2, 2012
Winning projects will be featured in the May issue of BD+C.
| Feb 2, 2012
VLK Architects selected for new Cypress, Texas elementary school
The Bridgeland Elementary School will be a new prototype school for the District. Designed to meet the requirements of The Collaborative for High Performance Schools.
| Feb 2, 2012
Mortenson Construction to build 2.4 MW solar project in North Carolina
Located on a 12 acre site in the Sandhills region, the 2.4 megawatt (MW) system is expected to generate approximately 3.5 million kilowatt hours (kWhs) of clean electricity on an annual basis.
| Feb 2, 2012
Shawmut Design and Construction launches sports venues division
Expansion caps year of growth for Shawmut.
| Feb 2, 2012
Fire rated glazing helps historic university preserve its past
When the University embarked on its first major addition since the opening of Hutchins Hall in 1933, preserving the Collegiate Gothic-style architecture was of utmost importance.
| Feb 2, 2012
Delk joins Gilbane Building Co.
Delk to focus on healthcare construction programs and highly complex higher education facilities for Gilbane Building Company’s Southwest region.
| Feb 2, 2012
Next phase of construction begins on Scripps Prebys Cardiovascular Institute
$456 million Institute will be comprehensive heart center for 21st Century.
| Feb 1, 2012
Increase notched in construction jobs, but unemployment rate still at 16%
AGC officials said that construction employment likely benefited from unseasonably warm weather across much of the country that extended the building season.
| Feb 1, 2012
Replacement windows eliminate weak link in the building envelope
Replacement or retrofit can help keep energy costs from going out the window.
| Feb 1, 2012
‘Augmented reality’ comes to the job site
A new software tool derived from virtual reality is helping Building Teams use the power of BIM models more effectively.
