35. Printing the Future of Buildings

Abstract

3D printing has become a valuable tool in making manufacturing more sustainable and efficient. This project maps out and prints an accurate 3D prototype of the University of North Georgia Gainesville Campus’s Science Building for display. To compile the measurements of the building, a number of traditional and more modern methods were used. The height of the building was acquired using a Topcon Total Station, and the footprint by more mechanical methods. Similarly, the placement of the building’s windows were collected using a number of handheld remote measuring devices using software recommended by the Advising Professor and physical tape. From there the information is compiled into a working model of the given building. Once completed, the model shall be printed out in three separate portions and affixed to each other. The completed work showcases the ability of current technologies to easily create and recreate models of everyday, and not so common items for ease of study. While this model is rather simplistic, showing only the outside of the edifice, should more information be collected, it would be just as simple to create more in-detail maps, showing both the outside and the inner workings of buildings, and the future inclusion of unmanned drones will allow for a greater degree of accuracy and ease of data collection.