Tech Marvel: Ashwini Vaishnaw Inaugurates India’s First 3D-Printed Post Office In Bengaluru

India's first 3D-printed post office was inaugurated by Communications and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today (18 August) in Bengaluru.

The Minister visited the location to see the unusual building that took 44 days to get ready, starting on 21 March.

'Cambridge Layout PO' is the name given to the post office. It will house the Halasuru Bazaar Post Office — in a 1,100 square feet facility.  

The building's framework was finished by 3 May, but it took two months to set up the drainage and water system.

The project was undertaken by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and the total construction cost is around Rs 26 lakh — about 30-40 per cent cheaper than a structure built in a conventional way.

The civil wing of the Postal Department spent roughly Rs 40 lakh on additional costs such as pavers, drainage connections, and water connections.

The building was printed in situ, using an automated 3-D concrete printer. This deposits concrete layer by layer, according to the 3-D model drawing, and calls for a fine balance between the quick hardening and the flowability of the concrete mix.

Explaining the post office’s uniqueness, the New Indian Express report stated that in the case of this structure, the building has been printed on-site as per the design. “This is perhaps the first public building constructed by this process,” the report added.

The other 3D-printed building involves building the elements printed off-site in a manufacturing facility and then assembled at the site. 

If the pilot 3-D printed post office is a success, the postal department plans on extending this to 400 more locations, that are hitherto unserved by postal services.

Larsen and Toubro has been among the earliest major construction companies in India to embrace 3-D printing technology, aiming to complete projects, faster, and at a lower cost.

Using a large format concrete 3-D printer sourced from Denmark-based 3D construction equipment maker Cobod, they “printed” a small one-storied structure using the locally sourced 3-D printable concrete mix in November 2019 as a learning exercise.