Malawi: Switzerland-based Holcim says that the world’s first 3D printed school has opened in Salima district’s Kalonga village after a build time of just 18 hours. The EcoPact green concrete producer says the building provides a much-needed thirteenth school in Yambe, which still needs three more. Holcim’s green construction subsidiary 14Trees estimates that its 3D printing technology can meet Malawi’s school building needs by 2031, compared to after 2090 by conventional methods. The group said that the school proves that “3D printing can play a key role in bridging our world’s education infrastructure gap” with high-quality, sustainable, affordable and fast-paced construction, at scale.

Europe, Middle East and Africa regional head Miljan Gutovic said, “I am very proud of how our colleagues at 14Trees have deployed cutting-edge 3D printing technology to solve such an essential infrastructure need. Now that we’ve proven the concept in Malawi, we look forward to scaling up this technology across the broader region, with projects already in the pipeline in Kenya and Zimbabwe.”