Across the developed world, innovations in building science are being harnessed to cut costs in construction, improve the performance and energy efficiency of buildings, and even assist in the delivery of affordable housing. In corners of the world with greater populations and far less infrastructure, cutting edge technologies can make a world of difference to effect change, and in some cases are being used to bring about that change at a more human level, beginning with education. Last year, the second 3D printed school in the world was constructed in Madagascar, by the American NGO Thinking Huts. Following up on the success of that project, the organization is now in the process of applying the same 3D printing technology to construct an eight-building campus, The Honeycomb, that will provide access to education for three different villages in Madagascar.

Thinking Huts CEO and Founder Maggie Grout standing in front of their first school built in Fianarantsoa, image by Geoffrey Gaspard

Founded 8 years ago by 15-year-old Maggie Grout, the organization was built upon the mission to provide children around the world with the opportunity to receive an education, and the resources to elevate their communities. The organization reports that globally, over 290 million children are unable to attend school due to overcrowded classrooms and long travel distances. In Madagascar it’s estimated that the country needs to build 22,000 schools in order to effectively deliver education to the extensive youth population. Seeking to address this gap, the now 23-year-old Grout is on the cusp of changing the lives of hundreds of Malagasy families with a project that demonstrates just how impactful cutting edge building science can be. 

Located on the campus of Université de Fianarantsoa Ecole de Management et D’Innovation Technologique in the southern-central City of Fianarantsoa, the 3D printed school building provides the institution with an additional classroom space that can accommodate up to 30 students. The walls of the structure are entirely 3D printed, using a liquid concrete mix as the ‘ink’, while the timber roof, as well as the windows and metal cladding were all added on manually.

The 3D printed walls are topped with a manually constructed timber roof, image courtesy of Thinking Huts

The process began with creation of a concrete slab upon which the architectural-sized 3D printer was installed. Crafted by global leaders in construction 3D printing, COBOD, the machine is composed of a large frame that gives the printing head the ability to move both laterally and vertically, and functions similarly to a concrete pump, employing a steel nozzle to lay the fast-curing concrete mixture. Programmed by a computer, the printer head traces the structure in plan view, working layer by layer until the building is fully formed. For the Fianarantsoa building, the entire printing process was completed in just 18 hours. 

Architectural-sized 3D printer forming the school building structure layer by layer, image courtesy of Thinking Huts

With the structure completed, a crew of local builders then began the process of constructing the roof using standard wood framing practices, followed by the installation of the windows and doors, which added another 12 days to the total construction time. In two weeks, Thinking Huts’ first school was complete, and built using an approach that minimized both construction time and waste. 

Local builders constructing the roof of the Fianarantsoa school, image by Andry Niaina

Bringing The Honeycomb to life will require a much larger effort for the organization. Constructing eight different school houses as well as the plumbing and water infrastructure, the project will rely on more builders and many more supplies, creating more management responsibilities for Grout, who also fills the role as the organization's construction manager. The team, however, is motivated by a powerful calling, to transform the future of hundreds of families and improve the outlook for future generations.

In the long run, Grout hopes that her organization will be able to create opportunities for a new workforce of skilled construction 3D printing technicians, in turn leading to the delivery of more schools, but in the present, her focus is fixed on making The Honeycomb a reality, targeting 2025 for completion. 

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