Architecture firm SOM has created a 3D-printed structure that generates its own power and shares energy with a companion vehicle, providing a model for off-grid living (+ slideshow).

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) worked in partnership with the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create the curved pavilion, which the firm claims is the world's largest 3D-printed polymer structure. A closed-loop battery system links it with a vehicle designed by Oak Ridge, which was made using the same technology.
The project was developed as a prototype for an initiative called the Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy (AMIE), which aims to foster new ways of thinking about the generation, storage and usage of electrical power. The prototype is meant to show how energy can be shared between a building and a motorised vehicle.
It was presented to the public for the first time at the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas, which took place from 19 to 21 January 2016.
The SOM-designed pavilion is composed of 3D-printed panels that serve multiple purposes. In addition to acting as exterior cladding, the panels provide structural support, insulation and moisture protection.
This all-in-one approach cuts down on construction waste and reduces material usage, according to the design team. "SOM and its partners optimised the structure's form to reduce the amount of material used and to express three-dimensional printing's ability to deploy complex, organic ...