Today we are here at the Montalto di Castro construction site
to oversee the assembly
of the first earthquake-resistant building in Italy
to be made using 3D printing.
It’s a source of great honor and pride
for all of us at Enel and also all of our partners
to be present at this historic moment
that effectively marks the start
of a new digital and digital construction era.
The main potential that this technology offers
relates to its ability
to handle complex shapes easily.
With this technology and these materials,
we can make structural concrete elements
with very special shapes,
which means that the structural element
can be given very special functionalities.
These kinds of shapes could not really be made
with conventional technologies,
or else they would entail high costs.
3D printing is a facilitator
of construction activities
because it enables on-site construction activities
to be replaced by precast assembly.
In our department, we have conducted multiscale tests
on both the material and the structures
that were used for this project.
This was in order to define accurate predictive models
and then apply this technology to real projects.
These studies also enabled us to initiate
further topological improvements, i.e.,
to begin procedures that allow us
to use less material where it is only needed structurally.
This means we can start an additive technological process
that is not only effective from a production point of view,
but also more sustainable,
since it reduces material and resource consumption.
For Heidelberg Materials, 3D concrete printing
is a practical example
of what innovation and sustainability mean for concrete.
Innovation, in that 3D printing
makes it possible to increase safety on the construction site
and to build complex structures
that would be difficult or even impossible
to build using traditional methods.
Sustainability, in that 3D printing
can lessen the environmental impact
by reducing construction time and material waste.
As part of this project, we handled
the programming of the printing codes,
which helped both in the optimization of the components
during the production phase in the laboratory
and the assembly phase on site.
Our thanks and praise go to all those colleagues
who believed in this initiative,
thereby proving that innovation
isn’t only about technology,
but above all it’s about passion and discipline.