In Barcelona they’ve achieved something that seems from another time and from the future at the same time. A group of architects from the IAAC (Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia) has built TOVA, the first building in Spain made with a 3D printer that uses mud as its main material. Yes, mud, the same one used to build houses for thousands of years, but now controlled by a robotic arm that deposits layer after layer until it raises entire walls.
The idea is as simple as it is brilliant: use the earth we have under our feet to build homes, but with the precision and speed that modern technology provides. A large 3D printer places the mud mixed with a little natural fiber (like straw or clay) following a computer-made design. The result is a house that’s built in a matter of days, not months, and costs much less than a conventional one. Besides, mud has incredible properties: it keeps the house cool in summer and warm in winter, and at the end of its useful life it can be returned to the earth without polluting.
The most interesting thing of all is that this technology isn’t a lab experiment. There are already similar projects in Argentina, Italy and Tanzania, and the United Nations is exploring its use to build cheap homes in developing countries. TOVA proves that sustainable construction doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Sometimes, the best technology is the one that recovers what our grandparents already knew and improves it with today’s means. The future of housing? Maybe it’s made of mud.
— Marta, for inteligencia intermitente.
