Bengaluru: India’s first 3D-printed post office building inaugurated; environmentalists laud idea

The spirit of Aatmanirbhar Bharat!
🇮🇳India’s first 3D printed Post Office.

📍Cambridge Layout, Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/57FQFQZZ1b

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) August 18, 2023

The structure, which has a built-up area of 1,021 square feet, is made of special-grade concrete that hardens quickly to ensure bonding between the layers while the structure is printed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X to convey his compliments.

Every Indian would be proud to see India’s first 3D printed Post Office at Cambridge Layout, Bengaluru. A testament to our nation’s innovation and progress, it also embodies the spirit of a self-reliant India. Compliments to those who have worked hard in ensuring the Post… pic.twitter.com/Y4TrW4nEhZ

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2023

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One-of-a-kind building

Karnataka’s Chief Postmaster General Rajendra Kumar Shirthadi, an IPoS officer, told South First: “The significance of this particular project was that it was printed on site. Often, 3D-printed buildings are manufactured in separate facilities and then brought to the site and assembled.”

He added: “What we have built here is printed on site. That is, the printer was brought on site and the building was then constructed.”

The 3D printed post office was constructed in 43 days.(Supplied)

This is the first public domain building in India to be constructed using this technique.

According to Shirthadi, the estimated period for construction was 45 days, but it was completed in 43 days.

He explained, “Work was done only during the day because it was a residential area and we didn’t want to cause any disturbance for the residents at night. If the work is done day and night, it can be done in half the time.”

The conventional methods of construction would have taken about six-eight months to complete the building.

Following the inauguration, Union minister Vaishnaw, who holds the Railways, Communications, Electronics and IT portfolios, said, “The spirit of development, the spirit of developing our own technology, the spirit of doing something which was considered impossible in the earlier times — that’s the defining feature of these times.”

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Environmentalists, scientists in favour

Environmentalists and social activists hailed the new technique for its effectiveness and sustainable qualities.

Environmentalist, actor, and director Suresh Heblikar learnt from South First about the newly-inaugurated 3D-printed post office.

“It reduces constructional waste and makes less use of raw materials, so it is absolutely a good technique. But it is important to know how to utilise this technology for a wider purpose. These techniques should be utilised to provide affordable housing for the middle and lower-middle classes in big cities and small towns,” he said.

Biodiversity scientist Manjunath Nayak said that with the evolution of technology, it was important to regularly upgrade and update.

“This was a big step towards a new face of construction and it should only be improved from this point further. The fact that it is cost-effective is only a bonus,” Nayak said.

This novel building is expected to add to the endless list of “places to visit” in the city. The chief postmaster general said he believed that footfalls at the post office would see an increase in the coming weeks.

“It has definitely created a lot of interest across all generations and will definitely give a boost to the start-up ecosystem in Bengaluru,” he said.

(With PTI inputs)