The project is set in the extreme desert environment where it respond to phenomena associated with the lack of resources and expanding desertification. The answer to these problems is radical reassessment of classical building process. In oposition to the conventional construction method, desert robot is using materials and energy which is sufficient on its site, and even excess. The machine operates on the basis of 3d printers using concentrated solar rays to melt sand and then hardening the surface of the sand dunes, so the process of desertification has slowed down to stop. This process evolves in time so that the first phase result of the
operation of the machine becomes multiple layers of stabilized landscape. In the second phase of the project will create living spaces within excavated sand dunes after digging away or weathered internal loose inside fill. The project provides an opportunity for defense against the advancing desert and also makes available space for living in areas where it would otherwise be impossible .

Many parts of the world experience long-term desertification. This concerns mainly the south of the Sahara desert, the area called Sahel. This semi-desert area has been subjected to overpopulation, excessive usage of water resources and unsustainable agriculture throughout the last 60 years. The result is desertification and starvation of population. The speed at which this is happening at is not negligible, either. Dunes in Sahel move west to south by 600 meters a year. This means that Sahara takes one meter of arable land every day, physically pushing people from their homes. The picture above shows villages in sub Sahara Africa. Each village is surrounded by mound of sand dunes. Moving masses of sand endanger houses and keep the village from growth. Local people are fighting desertification by building rectangular grids on the surface of dunes. This grids are made of tree branches or any other biological material, which prevents the sand grains from blow of the surface of dune. One of the main problems is that the geographical location of the Sahara desert does not enable simple growth of vegetation on its dry, parched surface. Also poor locals often collect this wood to obtain firewood for use in kitchens. I see here the potential for use of my project which could in first phrase supply the anti desertification grid and in second phase create new inhabitable spaces inside of solidified dunes.

Timbuktu suffers as much as other sub-saharan city from desertification. Wind is moving masses of sand from the north east toward the city. I found satellite images showing this area between years 2003 and 2013. Based on these images I analyzed the movement of sand in my chosen area. The project prototypes a solar-sinter delta robot which first creates the anti- desertification grid and then adds new inhabitable spaces inside the solidified dunes. Different spatial situations defining different typologies. Housing units were created mainly where two dunes meet. Public institutions like schools appear on the places whit the best accessibility to housing. Linear dunes connecting different units can turn in to semi covered street and serve as street bazaars. Hollow dunes with less dense mesh could host gardens, which protect the plants from sun and wind. Overlaid map is showing the movement of dunes in selected area within 10 years. 

Year 0: plain landscape

 

Year 1: landscape with reinforcement layer. First layer of solidified landscape is reinforcement layer- In order to make the surface of dunes after excavation more stable I decided to add a layer of structure which will respond to pressure and tension forces. Another layers could be added on top of this layer.

Year 2: additional layer of mesh above areas which are supposed to be inhabited.This structure resembles the geometry of desert rose - a calcifying bacteria which is turning sand into the sandstone. This structure has the qualities of self optimized aggregate similar to bone structure.

Year 3-5: as the wind blows more and more sand accumulates on one side of dune. This new pile of sand will be stabilized too, which will make the shield around inhabitable area more porous and thus better to create shadow and microclimate.

Year 5-10: loose sand inside of dunes will be either dug out or blown out by wind. Inside spaces will host human activities as well as gardens. Plants will be able to grow underneath less dense mesh which will provide shadow and protection against harsh winds.

Robot in real scale would work on the basis of three independently operating stepper motors that move the arms. These arms are carrying the central plateau which accommodates a strong Fresnel lens. This lens is used to concentrate the sunlight to one point. Temperature of this concentrated sunbeam in conditions like Sahara Desert may excess sand melting point (about 1600 ° C) molten sand changes its structure and after cooling the material is very strong and resistant to harsh weather conditions.
 

Model prorotyping:
The idea of delta robot fascinated me from the beginning. However this robots are widely used in the industry
and also for 3d printing I find that their potential is still not fully used. For example lack of deltabots in
larger scales... I was amazed by the simplicity of its construction which could only by using three servos or
motors easily reach any point in space.I find it suitable for extreme environment for multiple reasons: the
construction could be relative light and they could be easily decomposed or folded and then rebuild again
in other place. The movement of the arms is not based on Cartesian grid coordinates like other conventional
3D printers but rather on circular or spherical movement, which I find more suitable for anamorphic
landscape of dunes.
There are at least two different ways how can delta 3D printer work. One of them is the traditional way
where the robot prints layers of glue or any other binding material on top of each other. For printing in sand
it means that there need to be layer of sand add after each layer of glue. Another way would be printing
directly in 3d space by using pile of sans as the base for printing and then add the glue on surface