3D-printing technology has made massive leaps and bounds in recent years. There was a time, not too long ago, when the concept existed in the realm of science fiction, with the “protein resequencer replicator” (food synthesiser to you and me) in Star Trek - whose fans were once the only audience that took these kinds of things seriously. But today that has all changed, as predicted two years ago by Autodesk senior industry program manager for construction Dominic Thasarathar. “It’s a very interesting time for the world of 3D printing. BIM and the Cloud have already taken the construction industry by storm and prove that trends within the profession are inevitably accelerating towards digital realisation. It’s partially cost driven; digital realisation can deliver the predictability and speed that is particularly attractive in the current difficult global economic climate.” Accordingly, all manner of objects are now commonly created using 3D modelling and printing technology and it has had an enormous impact on architectural fabrication techniques. All the structural steelwork on London’s 48-storey Leadenhall Building - commonly known as the Cheesegrater - was fabricated from 3D drawings, and designers and engineers such as Arup are now at the forefront of developing additive manufacturing technologies that can essentially print a huge range of architectural nodal components. But one particular material has resisted these technological advancements: glass. For David Benjamin, founding principal of Autodesk eco-design studio The Living, “glass hasn’t really had the explosion in technical innovation that has happened with other materials like plastic”. Until now, that is. Earlier this month, Media Lab, an interdisciplinary research unit at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), made a startling announcement: they have invented a technique for 3D-printing fully transparent glass. The particular kind of glass the printer produces is known as soda lime glass, which has a huge range of applications, from windows to domestic glassware. To read more of this exciting development, please visit: www.building.co.uk/buildings/3d-printed-glass-print-me-off-another-shard...
