A community centre to be built in Tanzania will be defined by its cutting-edge 3D-printed design. But rather than being constructed from layered concrete as is often expected in 3D-printed projects, its walls will be created using locally sourced soil.
The community centre is run by Hassell, in partnership with Australia-based charity One Heart, for Hope Village in Tanzania. It is part of a wider scheme to provide housing, schools, childcare and skills training for vulnerable young girls in Kibaha, in eastern Tanzania.
“The Hope Village community hall design aims to create a beautiful, functional, safe and uplifting environment that provides both hope and education for vulnerable girls,” says Mark Loughnan, Principal and Head of Design at Hassell. “The hall is a welcoming space that creates an innovative central activity hub that also connects with the surrounding environment. The hall’s design and construction process aimed to engage the community and provide ongoing opportunities for local engagement and education throughout the build.”
Structurally, the community center is quite complex. Its walls (non-load-bearing) will be built using soil found within 25 km (15.5 miles) of the site and a WASP 3D printer. WASP has been doing research on this for years, and a previous project used a mixture of mud, straw, rice hulls and lime. A similar process will take place here, with a clay-based soil mix extruded through a nozzle in layers to build the walls. A representative at Hassell told us that the walls will be reinforced with fine wire mesh between the layers.
Hassel/Imigo
Inside, the design brief calls for a large, open floor plan to suit the local climate and a limited number of columns to ensure flexibility. To achieve this, Hassell designed a central steel beam that serves as the hall’s structural spine. This will support a roof made from locally sourced timber sections. The roof will feature cladding made from readily available corrugated sheet metal panels, which helps keep costs down.
The project also involves the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, IAAC and ClarkeHopkinsClarke. We have no word yet on when it is expected to be completed, but prototype walls have already been produced.
Source: Hassell