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3D-printed school building aims to inspire Ukraine’s displaced children

Professional Engineering

The last layers are added to the first part of the school in Lviv, Ukraine
The last layers are added to the first part of the school in Lviv, Ukraine

A 3D-printed school building could show a potential way forward for the replacement of war-damaged or destroyed educational facilities in Ukraine, according to the partners behind the project.

Described as the first 3D-printed school in Europe, the one-storey building was printed by Denmark’s 3DCP Group in Lviv, Ukraine. The project, which aims to highlight the opportunities of 3D construction printing in rebuilding Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, is led by humanitarian foundation Team4UA.

The war has so far destroyed or damaged more than 2,000 schools, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, with 277 completely demolished.

“The school construction project, based on 3D printing technology, is designed to provide access to education for children affected by the full-scale war in Ukraine, as well as to create an inclusive space for internally displaced children in Lviv,” said Team4UA founder and chairman Jean-Christophe Bonis.

“Destroyed schools and other educational institutions deprive the younger generation of the opportunity to receive a quality education, which can have a negative impact on their future and the future of the state. Innovative solutions will help to overcome this problem right now, more efficiently and much faster – just see how much has been done here in just three to four days of printing. Virtually half of the printing is already complete.”

The primary school is being built on the premises of Lviv’s existing School Number 23, with an area of 370m2. It will “serve as a beacon of hope for internally displaced children affected by the full-scale war”, according to Danish firm Cobod, which supplied its Bod2 printer for the project, and aims to “provide a nurturing environment for the young learners”.

The architect chose to clearly show that the building was 3D printed by not smoothing the walls, which would have been possible using flaps on the printer. 90% of construction materials and 99% of the material for the printed concrete were sourced locally.

By using 3D printing in the construction process, the partners aim to speed up the creation of educational facilities and “lay the foundation for the reconstruction of housing and vital infrastructure throughout Ukraine”.

Henrik Lund-Nielsen, founder and general manager of Cobod, said: “We are proud to have delivered the technology that makes this project possible. The proud people of Ukraine deserve all the support we can provide, and I am happy we have been able to donate all what we have been doing in this project for free.”


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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

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