The Karnataka Circle’s Chief Post Master General revealed that they have invited competitive bids to build the first 3D Printed Post Office in India (in Bengaluru). The post office has contacted Larsen & Toubro Construction, but the process is yet to complete. Once completed, a new Halasuru Bazaar sub-post office is expected to be 3D Printed within one month.
This technological marvel will be on display at Cambridge Layout in Halasuru, making it the country’s first 3D-printed post office. Construction costs would be cut in half if this invention was used instead of a standard model.
“They (L&T Construction) are eager to erect inexpensive post offices. As a result, we contacted them (L&T Construction) to 3D print our Halasuru Bazaar sub-post office.”
– S. Rajendra Kumar, Chief Post Master General of the Karnataka Circle
First 3D Printed Post Office In India
L&T Construction is one of India’s largest construction companies, working on multi-million dollar infrastructure projects across the country and abroad. They construct roads, bridges, power plants, dams, monuments, industrial complexes, and other infrastructure.
It has recently begun to explore the potential applications of 3D printing. One such new project is the 3D printed post office in India, which they hope to replicate across the country.
L&T has received technology permission for 3D concrete printing for structures starting at ground plus three stories from the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and IIT-Madras for the construction of the post office.
The postal service owns real estate in Halasuru. A 1,000 square foot structure could be built for less than Rs 25 lakh if 3D printing technology is used. This would be only 25% of the average construction cost. This project would provide the department with a viable option for establishing post offices in areas that desperately need them.
When asked about the timeline, Kumar responded that “Because this was an experiment being conducted for the first time in the nation, a few formalities needed to be worked out.”
He added, “Any contract worth more than Rs 2.5 lakh must be put out to competitive bids. The department can nominate them, though, as this is probably the only issue that qualifies in this category. They are checking it, and L&T might get the work order in a month. They have already given them blueprints and promised to have the structure finished in a month.”
L&T Construction built India’s first multi-story 3D printed building in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, in December 2020. They used COBOD’s BOD2 3D printer for the project.
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