IIT Madras alumni's startup 3D prints 600sqft concrete home comprising hall, kitchen, bedroom

India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman virtually inaugurated India's first 3-D Printed house which is situated within IIT Madras, said the Institute. Constructed by Tvasta Manufacturing solutions, this 600 sq. ft, single-story home has a functional space comprising of a single bedroom, hall, and kitchen, all of which have been designed and developed by the firm's indigenous 3-D printing technology.

The concrete 3D printing technology is a 'Ready-to-Implement Methodology' with no lead time on manufacturing, and is touted to offer advantages including - reduction in overall construction cost and time, brings down the carbon footprint, higher productivity of labor, and utilization of eco-friendly materials.

Tvasta's 'Concrete 3D Printing' is an automated manufacturing method, where their 3-D printer accepts a computerized three-dimensional design file and fabricates a 3D structure in a layer-by-layer manner by extruding a custom-made variant of concrete. 

In 2018, Zee media had reported on this technology when it was in its nascent stage and the firm had demonstrated its capability of printing a standing 3-D structure. 

Addressing the inauguration via virtual mode, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs said, "India definitely needs such solutions which do not require much time. This technology enables building a 3D printed house in 5 days. With the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s goal of 'Housing for All by 2022,' we have a huge challenge before us. A huge challenge of meeting that deadline and making sure that people who need houses get it at an affordable price. The Government incentives for that are available."

She expressed hope that with such technology able to deliver a home In five days, the goal of building 100 million homes by 2022, would not be a big challenge when compared to conventional construction.

Tvasta's primarily aims to cater to the various infrastructure needs in the Indian subcontinent, with the focus on providing construction-related 3D Printing services for Government schemes that aim to alleviate problems of housing, sanitation, disaster-time rehabilitation, among others.

On the work done by Tvasta, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, said, "This technology is the first to be beneficiary-led in the construction industry. The machine for constructing this house can be rented, like borewells rented by farmers. It provides for large-scale, high quality and also, price assurance for the customers."

The firm's Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Adithya VS, believes that their technology and efforts can ensure personalization of homes for the users and make affordable, quality housing a reality for all Indians.