Godrej & Boyce builds 500 sq ft office in 40 hours using 3D printing technology

Mumbai: Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, said its vertical Godrej Construction reached a milestone and successfully constructed a 500 sq. ft. office and made it fully functional within 40 hours at its greenfield campus at Khalapur.

Christened ‘The Cocoon’ due to its curved elliptical design, the office was created in the form of prefabricated modules, using innovative 3D Construction Printing (3DCP) Technology and then assembled it together within a timeframe of 40 hours.

.Anup Mathew, Senior Vice President and Business Head, Godrej Construction said, “‘The Cocoon’ is a manifestation of our relentless pursuit of pushing boundaries, not just in terms of architectural design, but also in redefining construction timelines. Construction of ‘The Cocoon’ is a good demonstration of an effective team collaboration integrated with good project planning using tools like Building Information Modelling (BIM), Lean Construction methods, and 3D Construction Printing. At Godrej Construction, we are committed to delivering innovative and sustainably designed solutions tailored to the needs of our customers in the built environment.”

The project construction included the complete installation of 3D printed modules, civil works, waterproofing, flooring, external and internal painting, electrical works, lighting, AC installation, plumbing, drainage and sanitation fixtures, office furniture, and landscaping in under 40 hours.

The office was created using a concrete mix design comprising up to 20% of Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) sourced from concrete debris recycled at the Godrej & Boyce Recycled Concrete manufacturing facility, at Vikhroli, Mumbai.

Speaking to HT, Abhijeet Gawde, Head of Business Development & Marketing, Godrej Construction, said the company has been working exploring the possibilities with 3D Construction Printing Technology for over two years, and had used it to make bus shelters, security pavilions which were deployed at the Vikhroli campus. “The Cocoon was conceived to challenge the timelines in construction and the senior management challenged the team to see how much the construction can be speeded up. So the team started with two months, and planned further to bring it down to a month, 15 days, a week and finally 40 hours,” he said.

The team worked with lean construction technology modules and chose the cocoon-shape instead of a rectangular design. “We had the option of making it rectangular and build it with beams and columns, but it would have taken longer. So, we decided to make column-less structure with a curvature, and elliptical design which will look more aesthetic. 3D construction printing technology allows you to make complex designs,” he said.

Gawde said globally the 3D construction printing technology is still evolving, and it is used more for designing individual horizontal structures rather than huge multi-storied vertical structures.

Godrej Construction has been an early pioneer in adapting sustainable practices and materials and it set up a recycled concrete manufacturing plant in 2016-17. “We have processed nearly 30,000 metric tonnes of construction debris so far. We manufacture and supply paver blocks, solid blocks, AAC blocks, box culverts using recycled concrete aggregates to real estate developers as well as infrastructure companies and projects,” said Gawde adding that the company has supplied over 450 box culverts made with 10% recycled concrete aggregates for big infrastructure projects like the Coastal Road, and its solid blocks and pavers were used in the construction of Mumbai Metro 2A and 7 lines.

Gawde said the construction sector contributes to carbon emissions, and using sustainable construction materials will help reduce the carbon footprint. “With increasing urbanisation, and many infrastructure and real estate projects underway, it is the need of the hour to reduce the emissions by using sustainable construction materials. A report by Centre for Science and Environment had said only 1% of construction debris and waste is recycled in India. So, more companies need to step forward and set up recycling plants.”