World-renowned architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is known for designing iconic skyscrapers such as the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in Chicago and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
The American architecture firm has recently unveiled its off-grid 3D printed building for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
Image courtesy SOM
This energy-efficient building will be powered by the built-in solar panels that will work in tandem with a DOE created 3D printed car, which has a natural gas-powered generator. The energy is used for lighting and a GE-developed micro-kitchen, complete with inductive cooking surfaces and under-counter refrigerator. The Photovoltaic panels will charge the enclosure’s battery when the fixtures are not in use.
The highly energy-efficient structure, called AMIE (Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy), is constructed with a series of printed C-shaped sections specially designed to act as the thermal barriers in the compact space.
Image courtesy SOM
