SLM’s Sam O’Leary joins Thinking Huts’ board of directors
May 10, 2023
Sam O’Leary, CEO of SLM Solutions, Lübeck, Germany, has joined the board of directors of Thinking Huts, an international non-profit organisation which uses Additive Manufacturing to help build schools in developing countries.
“By building schools leveraging 3D printing, Thinking Huts is able to provide education infrastructure in a sustainable and efficient manner,” O’Leary stated. “This approach has the potential to revolutionise the way schools are built in the developing world, making it possible to build more schools and serve more students than traditional construction methods would allow.”
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O’Leary emphasises the urgency of this approach as populations continue to rise in underserved regions. In addition to Thinking Huts’ commitment to work closely and thoughtfully with communities, the nonprofit prioritises the transfer of technology in order to spread innovation independently of its own projects.
Thinking Huts is in the process of scaling its design to build the world’s first additively manufactured school campus on the West Coast of Madagascar. The NGO, which employs local workers for all construction projects, will simultaneously establish an Additive Manufacturing technician training programme to support the growth of native teams.
“The 3D printing industry has disrupted how companies innovate,” O’Leary added. “It’s time we pivot the same disruption to that of the education system by enabling access to a good education in developing countries.”
