Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has opened the country’s first 3D printed commercial building.
The US credit union’s newest branch is a 6,000-sq ft, two-storey branch at 125 West 20th Street, in the heart of the south side of Chattanooga. It features drive-through lanes with interactive teller machines (ITMs), parking spaces and a 3D-printed building facade using patented 3D printing process called Cellular Fabrication and incorporates its wave branding.
This printing method allows material to solidify in open space, creating a matrix of polymer in any shape desired.
The 3D printed panels were transported by Branch Technology to TVFCU’s new Southside branch in October 2020. Each panel is placed on hooks that are attached to the exterior of the building.
“The undulating facade is patterned to identify entrances and expand around the building’s curvature, serving as wayfinding for visitors,” said the credit union on social media.
The building was designed by Branch Technology, an architectural fabricator specialising in construction-scale 3D printing. Earlier in the year the credit union opened a walk-up branch in the Market City Center building. The latest branch brings the total it operates to 20.
