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Comment by DougN7 | Hacker News Reader

Would this survive a rain storm or would it turn to mud? I couldn’t tell from the article.

> The collaboration between MC A and WASP has been supported by Mapei, a worldwide producer of construction materials, which has studied the clay materials and identified the key components within the raw earth mixture to create the final highly optimised printable product.

https://www.3dwasp.com/en/3d-printed-house-tecla/

I think its safe to assume that the raw clay has been processed into a material more suitable for masonry.

It says that it's been optimized to be printable, not for longevity or other characteristics needed in construction. What are the tradeoffs?

I would imagine if this house isn’t strong then future designs would be. Bricks and coffee mugs are also made out of clay so it’s not like we don’t already have a long history of experience working with the substance to create durable materials.

Yes, but bricks and coffee mugs are kiln fired, so this 3d printer would need to somehow accomplish that baking process or add something to the mix that would cause it to harden without being fired.

I don’t think either scenario is beyond the realm of possibility.

The link below has more information about this project. Apparently they added a coating to help with water resistance and a stabilizing agent to help with strength.

https://www.theplan.it/eng/architecture/tecla

That sounds like cheating if the whole goal was not to have to bring in any materials.

It would pretty quickly erode away. I think that's why they've built it in a desert. Don't have to worry about rain if there is no rain!

It's in Ravenna, that's not a desert.

The material used probably involves some form of binder, rammed earth is also an option but it doesn't look like rammed earth from the photos.

Rain can be torrential in the desert.

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