An innovation aimed towards constructing public infrastures cheaply has yielded results with the opening of the world’s first 3-D-printed school in Malawi. The project which is a joint venture formed by cement group LafargeHolcim and UK development financier, CDC Group demonstrates how the method could be used as a cheap and fast way to build social infrastructure in Africa.

The Switzerland-based Holcim this week announced the launch of the school – the world’s first built with 3D printing (3DP) – in the Salima District. The walls were printed in just 18 hours, compared to several days it takes when using conventional building materials and children began learning in the new school on June 21, the company said.

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Malawi has an estimated shortage of 36,000 classrooms, according to data from UNICEF. The green construction joint venture, 14Trees, has said this shortfall could be eliminated in just ten years with 3DP, as opposed to 70 years using conventional construction methods.

Using proprietary LafargeHolcim ink, the process significantly minimises the time, cost, and materials used for building houses and schools. It also reduces their environmental footprint by more than 50% compared to conventional methods. 

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“This is proof that 3D printing can play a key role in bridging our world’s education infrastructure gap by building high-quality classrooms for children in a sustainable, affordable, and fast-paced way at scale,” Holcim said in a statement.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry