Urban Scale Interventions: 3D printing sustainable lighting installations

The team created iterations quickly on site allowing them to explore more design options. Alwani explains:

"We could constantly change parts, adapt them, and use them in a way that improved our design. The ability to experiment throughout the making process completely changed the output of the product."

There are 43 orbs in total, in 3 sizes. Because even the smallest size was too large for the 3D printer's 330 x 240 x 300 mm build volume, the orbs were 3D printed in sections. The small sizes had 3 sections and the larger size had up to 15 sections. All in all, roughly 450 sections had to be accurately 3D printed within a tight deadline.

Meeting deadlines with 3D printing

The workhorse machines chosen for this big challenge? Three Ultimaker S5 printers, supplied by reseller 3DGBIRE.

"With the Ultimakers working in the background, it was almost like having an extra pair of hands. This allowed us to progress other aspects of the project," said Project Architect, Lorna McCarten.

The orbs were 3D printed in up to 15 sections each, using a transparent PETG made from recycled plastic 

This manufacturing flexibility was crucial when a new wave of COVID restrictions threatened to delay the project. The team had been working out of an old linen mill in the center of Belfast. But the compact, modular nature of the Ultimakers meant production could continue. Alwani said:

"The ability to set the Ultimaker S5 up anywhere was really handy. When lockdown came, we moved to the spare room in my house because we had a deadline to meet and and there we could continue manufacture."

And when that deadline came, the USI team found that 3D printing had enabled their deep intimacy with the project in a way they never expected.

Graphic Designer, Rosanna O’Kane, said: "3D printing allowed our team to be hands-on every step of the way. From design to fabrication to installation. So we knew everything about the project and could problem-solve more easily along the way."

Simple, sustainable, single material

As well as reducing environmental impact with local manufacturing, USI went further to pursue their principle of sustainability.

They chose to 3D print the orbs using Filamentive Translucent PETG (and its click-and-print settings found on Ultimaker Marketplace). Wound on a cardboard spool, a high percentage of this filament is made from recycled material – plastic waste that would otherwise go to landfill. For every 1 kg of material sold, Filamentive also plants trees to offset at least 1 kg of CO2.

Using only a single translucent material meant that the bulbs inside each orb could dynamically change color in keeping with a soundscape specifically composed for the installation.

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The overall effect created a new sense of place and an instantly instagram-able experience for everyone share.

Urban Scale Intervention won a Placemaking Award for the Wine Cellar Entry installation 

A brighter future for Belfast

And the timing could not have been better. The installation didn’t just transform the site into a destination that people can explore and enjoy. It has also given back to the hospitality industry – one of the sectors hardest hit by COVID.

With USI's work opening the eyes of more people about the possibilities of additive technology, Alwani sees a positive outlook for the city's creative community:

“3D printing offers a new and accessible way to put manufacturing back in the heart of young people in Belfast, who aspire to design and reimagine the future.”