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3D house printing technology
Ultimate guide to construction 3D printers in 2022 (concrete 3D printing)
What are the best house 3D printers?
A construction 3D printer is a machine that can build houses by depositing a material (concrete for example) layer by layer. Concrete 3D printing – a.k.a. “Construction 4.0” – is a similar 3D printing technology to the one that FFF 3D printers use. Paste-type material, in this case, concrete or earth materials, is pushed through a nozzle in layers to print buildings in 3D.
Concrete 3D printing in the construction industry helps save time, effort, and material compared to traditional construction methods. It’s important to note, though, that 3D printers are not yet capable of creating a fully functional house.
Only the frame and walls of the house are built; other elements, such as windows, electricity, or plumbing, need to be installed separately. But concrete 3D printers can also be used to print bridges, benches, or simply outdoor decorations.
To provide a complete overview of the construction 3D printer market, we have listed 12 house 3D printing solutions. Some of them are 3D printers available for sale, while some are still at the start-up prototype stage or are external construction 3D printing services.
13 house construction 3D printers
| House 3D printer | Category* | Type** | Build size (m) | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetAbram P1 | Available | Gantry system | 16 x 8.2 x 2.5 | Slovenia |
| COBOD BOD2 | Available | Gantry system | 14.62 x 50.52 x 8.14 | Denmark |
| MAXI PRINTER | Available | Robotic arm | 12.25 x 12.25 x 7 | France |
| CyBe Construction CyBe RC 3Dp | Available | Robotic arm | 2.75 x 2.75 x 2.75 | Netherlands |
| ICON Vulcan II | Available | Gantry system | 2. 6 x 8.5 x ∞ | United States |
| MudBots 3D Concrete Printer | Available | Gantry system | 1.83 x 1.83 x 1.22 | United States |
| Total Kustom StroyBot 6.2 | Available | Gantry system | 10 x 15 x 6 | United States |
| WASP Crane WASP | Available | Delta system | Ø 6.3 x 3 | Italy |
| Apis Cor | Project | Robotic arm | 8.5 x 1.6 x 1.5 | Russia |
| Batiprint3D 3D printer | Project | Robotic arm | Up to 7m high | France |
| SQ4D – ARCS | Service | Gantry system | 9.1 x 4.4 x ∞ | United States |
| Contour Crafting | Service | Gantry system | – | United States |
| XtreeE | Service | Robotic arm | – | France |
Build volumes are indicative and may vary based on the specific configuration of the machine.
*Category: some 3D printers are available for sale, others are working projects, and some are only available via a rental service.
**Type: construction 3D printers either use a gantry system (like oversized desktop 3D printers with X, Y, and Z axes) or a mechanical, robotic arm.
How to build 3D printed houses?
Here we explain how 3D printers are able to print houses with paste extrusion.
House 3D printing technology
House 3D printers use extrusion technology. Some construction 3D printers look like super-sized desktop FFF/FDM 3D printers (gantry style), whereas others consist of a rotating mechanical arm.
In both cases, paste-type components such as concrete are used as filament. The material is pushed out of a special nozzle to form layers. To put it (very) simply, paste extrusion is similar to using a piping bag to spread frosting on a cake.
The printer creates the foundations and walls of the house or building, layer by layer. The ground is literally the printer’s build plate. Some concrete 3D printers, however, are used to 3D print brick molds. When molded, the bricks are then piled atop each other manually (or with a robotic arm).
WASP’s construction printer 3D printing with Earth materials (clay, soil). Source: WASPBenefits of house 3D printing
Eco-friendly
3D printed houses can be built with organic, eco-friendly materials. Moreover, some house 3D printers use solar energy and generate low CO2 emissions.
Affordable
House 3D printers can build affordable housing, being of great aid for people in poverty-stricken regions or after natural disasters.
Scalable
Construction 3D printing reduces certain building costs. For example, the cost for 1 square meter of a wall using traditional construction methods is approximately $75, whereas with the Apis Cor house 3D printer it is only $27.
Efficient
Since the materials are 3D printed on-demand, the machines produce less waste. Also, construction 3D printers can finish a home’s foundations in less than a few days, while traditional construction methods take several weeks or even months.
Design flexibility
With a 3D construction printer, it’s possible to easily create curved walls and unique facades. (Good thing it’s possible to 3D print furniture to match the curves!)
Limits of 3D printing houses
Expensive initial investment
House 3D printers can sometimes cost up to one million dollars.
Partially-built houses
House 3D printers only build house frames.
The 3D printing process is usually paused to manually settle plumbing, wiring, and rebars.
Rough exterior
Most 3D printed homes’ exteriors are not as smooth as traditionally-built houses.
Lack of certification
Construction sites are regulated by laws and there are important safety standards that need to be met, which can be challenging with 3D printing techniques (varying repeatability, dimensional stability, etc.).
Another downside that has been noted over the years is that house 3D printing can potentially harm local economies, especially in poverty-stricken regions or cities with high unemployment rates. Indeed, since construction 3D printers reduce the need for manual labor, they create much less employment for local workers.
Differences between 3D printed houses and traditional houses
Concrete 3D printing saves time, uses less material, and requires less manual labor.
Even 3D printed houses have a rougher exterior, post-processing is an option just as it is for regular 3D printed objects. 3D printed houses tend to be smaller due to 3D printer build volume limits, but this is not always the case.
Construction 3D printers: overview
We break down construction 3D printers into three categories: house 3D printers that are available for sale, concrete printer prototypes, and 3D concrete printing services.
House 3D printers available for sale
BetAbram is a small Slovenian team that has been working on construction 3D printing hardware since 2012. Their flagship home 3D printer, the BetAbram P1, is currently in its second version and is available with optional print heads: basic, “Orto” for smoother layers, and rotating for more design possibilities.
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This construction 3D printer is fast, reaching announced speeds of up to 60 meters per minute.
The BOD2 is modular and can be adapted is many different sizes. COBOD is a 3D Printhuset company.
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Constructions-3D is a subsidiary of French 3D printer retailer Machines-3D.
Their MAXI PRINTER machine is mobile thanks to its caterpillar-style rubber tracks and fits into a 20-foot shipping container for easy transport from one construction site to another.
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The CyBe RC 3Dp consists of a single robotic arm with a nozzle at its end.
This easy-to-move house 3D printer is capable of reaching up to 2.75 meters high and requires only two people to operate it.
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ICON wishes to revolutionize the construction field with their Vulcan II printer. The whole process is designed to be user-friendly with a tablet-based interface, and ICON’s Lavacrete concrete mix is optimized to be easier to print.
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MudBots is a concrete 3D printer manufacturer based in the United States.
Their smallest model (1830 x 1830 x 1220 mm approx.) is available at the price of $35,000. Larger build sizes are available as well, reaching up to 30 meters long.
According to MudBots, their 3D printers can 3D print a small house in only 12 hours and can drive costs down 70% compared to traditional construction methods.
Contact manufacturer Get a quote Add to comparison
The StroyBot, also known as the Rudenko 3D construction printer (made by Andrey Rudenko), is an all-in-one mobile construction printing system delivered as a kit to be assembled by the user. On average, it is able to print a 100-square-meter house in 48 hours (walls only).
The Crane WASP is the evolution of WASP’s previous construction printer, the BigDeltaWASP 12MT. This open source construction printer is modular and multiple Crane printers can work together on one project, for theoretically infinite 3D printing possibilities.
Concrete printer working projects
Apis Cor, a 3D construction company, is based in San Francisco and claims to be able to 3D print a house in under 24 hours.
Their Apis Cor printer is similar to a robotic arm and has won first place in NASA’s Phase 3 3D-Printed Habitat Competition.
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Batiprint 3D made international headlines when completing their Yhnova 3D printed house in Nantes, France. Their 3D printer not only prints cement but also insulation foam, which makes it one of the most complete 3D construction solutions.
Construction printing services
This automated construction system is able to 3D print large buildings and tall infrastructures. Contour Crafting (a.k.a. CC Corp) aims to make disaster relief more efficient with their concrete additive manufacturing technology.
SQ4D – ARCS aims to provide quick, robust, eco-friendly, and affordable housing solutions for impoverished areas.
XtreeE develops specific 3D printing solutions for construction, engineering, and architectural design. This startup is based in France and has already completed a number of 3D construction projects.
Special mentions: interesting 3D construction projects
DFAB HOUSE
This unique building was completed by a consortium of companies in early 2019 and is based in Switzerland. The 3-story DFAB building offers 200 square meters of space.
Branch Technology C-FAB and WATG’s Curve Appeal design
The WATG architectural design firm won the Branch Technology Freeform Home Design Challenge in 2016. In 2019, their project is set to be printed in Tennessee by Branch Technology’s C-FAB freeform construction 3D printing method.
DUS Architects XL 3D printer (KamerMaker)
The XL 3D printer was created by DUS Architects to build a prototype canal-house (simply dubbed “3D Print Canal House”) in Amsterdam using recycled materials.
Haus.me
This US-based company, previously known as PassivDom (dom.ai), 3D prints walls, floors, and roofs for their fully autonomous prefab houses.
Autodesk metal construction printer
Autodesk may or may not be working on a construction 3D printer that uses metal material. This 3D printer, which is more a pair of robotic arms than a printer, is able to make metal components for construction sites. We can’t wait to hear more about this!
CONCR3DE Armadillo stone 3D printer
CONCR3DE is a Dutch company that manufactures stone 3D printers. They are able to 3D print stone thanks to a special binder jetting process. Their two 3D printers, Armadillo Black and Armadillo White, aren’t able to print a house but can 3D print stone decorations or molds.
Discontinued projects and printers
Many startups have come and gone in the construction 3D printing industry.
D-Shape construction 3D printer
The D-Shape 3D printer is a multifunctional construction 3D printer that can 3D print very large objects, including houses and prototypes.
D-Shape seems to be inactive since 2015.
Winsun house 3D printer
The Winsun 3D printer is a house 3D printer that was in the spotlight a few years ago. In 2015, however, Contour Crafting’s CEO accused Winsun of stealing their patented technology. Winsun’s website has since been taken down.
Cazza X1 3D printer
Cazza was founded in 2016 with its X1 construction 3D printer. However, it seems that one of the co-founders stole the company’s funding in 2018, and Cazza is now on standby.
HuaShang Tengda
HuaShang Tengda 3D printed a house capable of withstanding a base 8 earthquake on the Richter magnitude scale. Today, the company seems to be off the radar.
3D printed house time and cost
Construction 3D printing is faster and more affordable than traditional construction methods.
However, since construction 3D printing is still in its early years, it is difficult to provide definitive statements about how long it takes to 3D print a house and how much it costs to 3D print a house.
How long does it take to 3D print a house?
Various construction 3D printer manufacturers such as Apis Cor or ICON boast that they are able to 3D print a small house in 24 hours. As mentioned before though, print jobs generally only include laying down the house’s foundations and walls.
This does save whatever amount of time it usually takes for a standard team to build walls for a certain project. The rest of the timeframe for building a house remains equal.
3D printed house price
In general, it is estimated that a 3D printed house costs 30% to 55% less than a traditionally-built house.
For reference, Apis Cor’s small house cost less than $10,000 to produce, and ICON’s compact 3D printed home even cost less than $4,000.
Construction 3D printer price
A construction 3D printer can cost anywhere between around $180K to over $1M. Robotic arm systems tend to have higher price tags than gantry-type systems.
Other 3D printed infrastructures
Aside from housing or buildings, construction 3D printers are able to 3D print bridges and space-station infrastructures.
3D printed bridges
Construction 3D printers can also 3D print bridges. In 2015, the world’s first 3D printed steel bridge was 3D printed for testing in Amsterdam by MX3D. MX3D printed the final version of their stainless steel bridge in 2018 and installed it in Summer 2021.
In 2017, a 12-meter-long pedestrian bridge was 3D printed in Madrid, Spain. In the same year, the first 3D printed concrete bridge was built in the village of Gemert in the Netherlands.
More recently, in 2019, Shanghai became home to the world’s longest concrete 3D printed bridge. It is 26.3-meters long and 2.6-meters wide, and was 3D printed in only 18 days.
3D printed infrastructures in space
NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge has given life to a number of teams dedicated to bringing 3D printing to space. Apis Cor, namely, won the top prize for one of this project’s phases. The goal is to create sustainable and efficient 3D printed housing for deep space exploration.
Many other companies have been involved in space-building projects, including the European Space Agency and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. It is possible that we will see the first space house 3D printers in space sometime in the next couple of decades (!).
Apis Cor and SEArch+ team’s 3D printed space infrastructure (render) for the NASA 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge. Source: Apis Cor and SEArch+FAQ: construction 3D printing
What is a 3D-printed house?
A 3D printed house is a house composed of 3D printed elements, such as 3D printed walls, floors, or roofs.
It is also possible to use the term “3D-printed home”.
How much does it cost to 3D print a home?
It can cost as low as $4,000 to 3D print a home. Prices vary greatly according to the material being used and the size of the home to be 3D printed.
What are the best 3D printed house companies?
See our selection of the best 3D printed house companies here.
Where are there 3D-printed houses for sale?
There are 3D printed houses for sale in the US (Los Angeles, San Francisco), China, France, Russia, UAE, and many other countries.
Is concrete 3D printing just for houses?
No, concrete 3D printing is also for infrastructures such as bridges.
3D Printed Houses: Top Projects from Around the World
3D printing news News 3D Printed Houses: A Closer Look at Completed Projects from Around the World
Published on July 29, 2022 by Carlota V.
As you may know, additive manufacturing is becoming increasingly important in the construction market. The new technologies make it possible to create more complex shapes, build walls faster, and reduce labor costs. Many construction companies have already started to 3D print buildings or houses. Be careful, however, with the term 3D printed house: In most cases, only the walls are made by a 3D concrete printer, that prints them layer by layer. That in itself is already quite an innovation that has made it possible to build homes in hard-to-reach, disadvantaged, or conflicted areas. These days, we are starting to see more and more 3D-printed houses being inaugurated and the first families are starting to move in. Yet, at this point, it is still difficult to assess the sustainability of such a structure, and only time will show if this manufacturing method is more viable altogether. However, we can already share with you some 3D printed house-projects that have been completed around the world.
A 3D Printed House in Japan
In less than 24 hours and for less than $25,500, the company Serendix designed this small house with 3D printed walls. Even if it’s hard to imagine that anyone could live in it, the project is still interesting and shows all the agility of 3D concrete printing. With a surface area of only 10 square meters, the structure has a honeycomb shape and no reinforcements. Serendix’s objective is to create emergency housing in times of crisis, as earthquakes and typhoons regularly hit the country. It took three hours to assemble the different 3D printed parts and a total of 23 hours and 12 minutes to get the final result.
Alquist 3D and the Virginia Project
U.S.-based Alquist 3D recently announced the launch of one of its new projects for 3D printing homes. Located in the state of Virginia, the 200 homes that make up the project will be created through additive manufacturing with the aim of reducing the overall cost of infrastructure in communities with economic problems.
According to the company, which specializes in 3D printing houses with concrete, this initiative is intended to be one of the largest housing construction projects, with Pulaski and Roanoke being the first cities to be chosen for it, due to the growth in demand for housing that these areas have experienced in recent years. After completing the project for Habitat for Humanity, this new idea now aims to help the company expand further into the 3D construction market.
The Fibonacci House, the First 3D Printed House on Airbnb
The next house on our list is interesting not just for its design but because it holds the distinction of being the first fully 3D printed house to be listed on Airbnb. Twente Additive Manufacturing (TAM), one of the leading companies in concrete 3D printing, created this home in a spiral shape following the Fibonacci sequence, a famous mathematic sequence also known as the golden ratio that often occurs naturally, giving the home its name. The spiral allows for the progression of space from the wide-open exterior to the closed and warmer space in the tightest part of the spiral.
The tiny home is available for rent for a minimum of two nights in Proctor, British Columbia, Canada on Airbnb for about $128 a night..
Mvule Gardens is Africa’s Largest 3D Printed Housing Project
Continuing the trend of 3D printed houses being used for affordable housing, Mvule Gardens is a neighborhood consisting of 52 houses, it is Africa’s largest 3D printed affordable housing project. Built by 14Trees, a joint venture between Holcim, a global leader in sustainable construction solutions, and CDC Group, the UK Government’s impact investor, the project hopes to address the housing shortage in Kenya. The homes were built using the BOD2 printer from COBOD and a 3D printable dry mortar called TectorPrint from Holcim, ensuring that the houses are adequately strong and can be made with a reduced carbon footprint. Both two-bedroom and three-bedroom homes are available and 14Trees notes that they hope they will help to make green, low-income and affordable housing a reality for Africa.
Azure 3D Printed Homes for Sustainable Construction
With the goal to develop homes faster, more economically, and with less environmental impact, Ross Maguire and Gene Eidelman brought Azure 3D Printed Homes to life in 2019. By combining years of experience in building and developing properties all over the world, the company has already been able to 3D print several environmentally friendly houses. The company uses recycled waste materials to create the structure of the houses, which are then produced with a large-scale 3D printer in only 24 hours. Azure 3D Printed Homes offers a variety of backyard offices and homes, one example is its Azure Marina Model. This 360 SQ/FT studio consists of a bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, and can be customized and ordered on the company’s website.
Habitat for Humanity Uses AM For Homes in Low-Income Areas
Atlanta-based nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity has been able to support millions of people all over the world by helping to construct and preserve houses and shelters.
Last year, in 2021, the organization finalized its first house using 3D printing technologies. The 1,200-square-feet house that is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, was the first 3D printed house to be owner-occupied in the United States. To create the house, Habitat for Humanity partnered with 3D printing home construction company Alquist 3D, which used a large-scale 3D concrete printer to produce the house in only 28 hours. The home features a kitchen, three bedrooms, and two full bathrooms. The nonprofit also has been working on building 3D printed houses in other states including Arizona.
House 1.0, Europe’s First 3D Printed Tiny House
The House 1.0 is the first 3D-printed Tiny House in Europe. It was made by Danish 3D printing startup 3DCP Group using concrete 3D printers. The company’s goal with this house is to build better, faster, greener, and reduce the amount of effort required in the construction process. The Tiny House is designed to be as cost-effective as possible and to provide owners with all the necessary amenities despite its small size of only 37 m2.
SQ4D Puts the First 3D Printed House on the Market
SQ4D is a company that has completed the construction of the world’s largest known 3D printed house. The house, which was printed and built entirely on-site, is approximately 180 m2 in size and required only forty-eight hours of printing time, which was spread over a period of eight days. The materials used in the manufacturing process had a total value of less than $6000. The company continues to strive for innovation and plans to cut the printing time in half for subsequent projects in the future.
Prvok, the 3D Printed Houses in the Czech Republic
Whether in the countryside, in the city, or even on water, the 3D-printed house called Prvok was born in the Czech Republic and was created through the collaboration of Buřinka, a visionary company from the construction sector, and sculptor Michael Trpák.
Built of concrete, the house can be printed in just 22 hours due to the printing speed of 15 cm per second – and with a size of 13.35 m x 3.5 m x 3.1 m. The robot arm thus produces a living area of 43 m2. With a total of three rooms – a bathroom with toilet, a living room with kitchen area, and a bedroom – the building can even be solidified on a floating hollow body, making it habitable on the water all year round.
Viliaprint, the Project Combining AM and Conventional Construction
This project combines additive manufacturing and conventional techniques for building houses. The project called Viliaprint was inaugurated in June of this year in the French city of Reims, more precisely in the eco-district there called Réma’Vert. A total of five houses, with each having living spaces ranging from 77 to 108 m2, were built thanks to the collaboration of stakeholders. The promising project aims at improvements in social, economic, and sustainable aspects. In the 3D printing process, which did not take place directly on site, the designers behind the 3D printed homes placed particular emphasis on concrete that dries as quickly as possible after each layer is applied so that it can hold its own weight.
COBOD and PERI Partner for Incredible Houses Build Using AM
PERI is a company founded in 1969. In 2018, the group acquired a minority stake in COBOD, a leader in 3D design, and since then the two companies have been working together. In 2020, they built the first 3D-printed house in Germany and the largest apartment building in Europe. The house, printed in the Rhineland region of North Westphalia, is a 160-square-meter, two-story single-family home with three-layer insulated cavity walls. The COBOD BOD2 printer was used for the construction, which is characterized by its ability to extrude concrete at a speed of up to 100 cm per second, resulting in the desired project size, smooth and straight walls, and the highest quality requirements. With the CODOB printer, it is possible to build up to 300 square meters on 3 floors at an unprecedented speed. PERI firmly believes that 3D printing will one day, revolutionize the construction industry.
Project Milestone, the 5 3D Printed Homes in the Netherlands
This next housing project is located in the city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
It consists of five 3D-printed concrete houses. Although the houses have already been sold, you can rent them from a real estate company. Each of them is made of 24 individual concrete pieces that took 120 hours to print layer by layer. These 24 pieces were then moved to the location where the house is currently located and assembled, attached to the foundations, and fitted with a roof, windows, and doors. The buildings have a futuristic design, which makes the houses look like they are abandoned, reminiscent of rocks in an oasis surrounded by trees. The houses meet the ultimate comfort needs and were built in a sustainable and energy-efficient way. The surrounding area is bright, yet quiet, and provides a great place to relax.
What do you think of these different projects? What is the impact of 3D printing in the construction sector? Let us know in a comment below or on our Facebook and Twitter pages! Sign up for our free weekly Newsletter, all the latest news in 3D printing straight to your inbox!
Construction 3D printing is waiting for a breakthrough The first construction projects using this technology appeared only in 2014.
We are talking, first of all, about the so-called small architectural forms (benches, flower beds, fences). They never even dreamed about building houses. But already in 2015, the Russian startup Apis Cor made a splash - it printed a whole house in the Moscow region. Since then, news about new 3D printed houses has periodically appeared. However, despite the fact that the technology proved to be very promising in terms of the speed of construction of housing and the reduction in the cost of construction, no mass implementation followed. nine0003 Construction is the world's number one market. And, if many technological innovations are being introduced in the field of high-rise construction, then little has changed in the field of low-rise construction over the past decades. The last 30 years have seen the availability of the Internet, mobile phones, mobile internet, robotics taken to a new level, etc., but when you get to a house construction site, you are unlikely to find many technological innovations..jpg)
Automation is practically non-existent, and manual labor prevails. 2020 was a test of strength for the whole world, and also led to the highest level of inflation, which, first of all, hit the construction market, there was a dramatic change in prices for metals, cement, wood and much more. nine0003
This Internet meme shows what happened to the cost of building materials in just a year. And the process is still going on. At the same time, there is a serious rise in the cost of labor, and there is an acute shortage of it. All this leads to a sharp rise in the cost of building houses. No matter how strange it may sound, statistics show that the growth of automation does not occur when everything is fine, but precisely in crisis situations, during increased competition, reduced demand and the need to urgently look for new technologies to increase production efficiency. So it happened this time, and after some stagnation, construction 3D printing received a new impetus for development.
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Preparing to write an article, I turned to the founder of Arkon - Boris Kozlov y. Arkon was established in 2020 and is engaged in the production of construction 3D printers, both a workshop type for creating prefabs (prefabricated houses) and a portal one capable of printing a two-story house. I asked Boris the key, in my opinion, question:
- Construction 3D printing appeared in 2014, but no mass introduction of this technology followed in 7-8 years. Why do you think this happened, and why is there a surge of new projects right now? nine0010
- It seems to me that the reason is the snowball effect. The technology had to mature, grow from a hypothesis to a pilot implementation, and finally to commercialization and scaling (what is happening now). In addition, it should be borne in mind that construction is one of the most conservative industries, where, unlike even aviation and the automotive industry, there is still an extremely low introduction of digital solutions and automation in the field of the production process itself - the construction itself.
The issue of regulation and certification also plays an important role - this process is long and creates an additional lag. nine0021
In 2014-2016 the first samples of building 3D printers and prototypes of printed buildings appeared. The concepts of various form factors of construction 3D printers and types of printing materials were tested.
In 2017-2018 in the world, the first notable investments were made in a number of construction 3D printing start-ups. Further, by 2020, these investments "rolled" in the form of reaching a certain level of technology maturity - the first commercial products (3D printers and houses) appeared. nine0021
Finally, in 2020-2022 it became clear that the hypotheses of the effectiveness of construction 3D printing were justified (cheaper, faster, more environmentally friendly), and large investments began in the industry. A striking example is the investment of GE (the French division of General Electric) in the Danish COBOD or the achievement of a capitalization of $ 2 billion by the American company ICON.
In 2022-2023 over 1,000 buildings will be printed worldwide already, scaling from single buildings/pilot projects to entire villages and major infrastructure/reinforced concrete implementations. In addition, in a number of countries, by now, a regulatory framework has been created or is being actively created for the introduction of additive technologies in the construction industry. nine0021
Thus, I believe that the specified time period is a fairly natural cycle of technology development, which is likely to experience exponential growth in the next decade.
According to ResearchAndMarket report, the global construction 3D printing market is valued at USD 354.3 million in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 11068.1 million by 2027, growing by 99.04%.
Various market processes affect the prices and behavior of participants in the global 3D construction printing market. They create price signals that are the result of changes in the demand and supply curves for a product or service.
They can be associated with both macroeconomic and microeconomic factors. Even human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals. nine0003
Now let's take a quick look at what the construction 3D printer is. Without delving too deeply into the technology, we can say that construction 3D printers are very similar to classic FDM/FFF printers that print with plastic, but instead of plastic, the material here is a cement mixture, which is fed directly into the nozzle and forms an object by layer-by-layer overlay. Printers are also portal, on the basis of a flying boom, with a robotic arm.
Pictured left is a construction printer based on a boom. The figure on the right is a gantry construction 3D printer
In the figure above, a construction 3D printer in the form of a robot arm installed on a mobile platform.
Everything changed completely when, in the summer of 2021, the American company ICON, which was trying to introduce 3D printing into the construction of various auxiliary facilities, signed a contract with one of the largest American developers, Lennar, to build a village of 100 houses in Texas and immediately became a unicorn , having received 200 million dollars of investments from several investment funds.
nine0003 Pictured is a 3D printed house in Austin, Texas. A 3D printed house in Austin, Texas.
At the same time, the Danish company COBOD, created by the world's largest construction formwork company PERRI, began selling its gantry 3D construction printers and participating in construction projects around the world. In the photo below, a modern two-story house built in Germany and a school building in Malawi, built in record time with a minimal budget.
Few things unite developed, developing and poor countries, everywhere their problems and tasks, but Affordable housing shortage is a global agenda . If in poor countries there is an acute problem with the increase in the number of homeless people due to a lack of housing, as such, then in developing countries it is necessary to dramatically accelerate the number of new housing being built to meet the needs of a growing population. In developed countries, the problem is primarily in the cost of housing, which has risen in price to such an extent that it has become practically inaccessible to young people.
And with the simultaneous increase in life expectancy in these countries, this problem is only getting worse. nine0003
At the same time, the trend towards "green agenda " is developing, reducing CO2 emissions, building with more environmentally friendly materials, etc. But, unfortunately, so far the construction industry is the absolute leader in CO2 emissions, as well as in the amount of garbage that each construction site leaves behind. This is not to say that construction 3D printing solves all these problems, but at least it is moving in the right direction. Let's look at this with a few illustrative examples. nine0003 3D printed walls.
Today, when we talk about 3D printing houses, we are talking about printing walls. Everything else (foundation, windows, doors, ceilings and roof) is done in the traditional way. 3D printed walls are built as fixed formwork, which significantly saves the amount of cement used , and this, in turn, reduces the cost of construction and reduces the environmental impact of cement production.
In addition, with this method of construction, no additional waste is produced, the strength of the structure does not suffer. It can be reinforced, as shown in the photo on the left, and engineering communications can be immediately laid, as shown in the photo on the right, which also affects the final speed of the construction of the object. At the same time, the total weight of the structure is reduced, the remaining cavities can be filled with lightweight foam concrete, insulation, straw or any other available material. Such a lightweight design can use a lighter foundation. The construction method itself is more economical in terms of material, and therefore environmentally friendly. nine0003
Eco-concrete with the addition of polymers is being actively developed, the production of which reduces CO2 emissions from 30% to 100%. The Apis Cor company mentioned at the beginning of the article, which built a house in the suburbs in 2015, is now based in hot Florida, plans to start using this material in its projects.
Another startup from Russia, Mighty Buildings, headquartered in California, initially relied on a polymer with the addition of mineral chips. And while the company doesn't build entire homes, it only makes wall panels, it has won numerous design awards, as well as a $400 million valuation in several investment rounds. nine0003
As a result, with a rough calculation, we can say that the total savings on the construction of walls can reach 30%, and the total cost of the house can be reduced by 10%. This is true for houses designed for conventional construction. And if you initially design with 3D printing, you can improve this ratio by optimizing the laying of communications, the ability to immediately print interior walls, bookmark niches for bathrooms, fireplaces, built-in wardrobes and kitchens, as was done in the house built by COBOD in Germany. nine0003
"There are spots on the sun." Despite all the advantages of construction 3D printing, has several significant disadvantages of .
The main one is layering, which cannot be avoided at the current level of technology development.
The photo above shows the layering of the 3D printed walls.
This task can be worked in several directions:
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Ribbed walls can be plastered, painted and played with as a design element. That's how ICON does it in the US, for example their latest project House Zero is done that way and has won a number of design awards. nine0003
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Use special "shutters" on the print head that allow smooth layers, as COBOD and other manufacturers do. The photo below shows that this does not ensure the complete absence of layering.
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Fully sand the surface to get the usual smooth wall for plastering, painting, wallpapering or other finishing. It is possible, but it will require huge labor costs, which can reduce the overall efficiency of using 3D printing.
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Pictured above is a 3D printed wall sanded smooth.
The second problem is the required temperature. Ideally, printing should take place at temperatures between +5C° and +30C°. Humidity is also important. Using additives, you can push these boundaries, but not indefinitely. At strong sub-zero temperatures, printing will be possible in the field only if the construction site is covered with a dome and the required temperature is reached inside with the help of heat guns. In conditions of intense heat, it is preferable to print at night. Another solution could be to print the wall panels in the shop and assemble them on site. Of course, each of these decisions will have a negative impact on the economic efficiency of the project. nine0003
Building 3D printing can be useful not only for the construction of houses . With its help, you can solve many other problems, and there its disadvantages will not matter. For example, the American concern GE uses COBOD printers to build towers for wind turbines in the shop.
Ribbed surface and temperature restrictions in this case do not play any role. Construction takes place in the shop, after which the object is transported to the installation site.
Alexander Kornveits
Expert in the field of additive technologies and 3D printing, head of Tsvetnoy Mir
Read an article about the first 3D printed houses?
3D printing has been used in construction for several years now.
In this article, you will learn about the first real houses printed on 3D printers.
3D printing of houses is still quite new to the layman. While construction 3D printing technologies have been developed for many years, only a few "real" projects have already seen the light of day. We are still far from technology taking over conventional construction methods. But with each new project, she is getting closer to becoming mainstream. nine0003
There are many benefits to 3D printing. For example, the cost of a 3D printed house can be much lower. And it will take much less time to build.
In order to draw a line under what has already been achieved in this area and show some interesting projects, we have devoted an article to the "first" and the best. These projects will always remain milestones in the construction 3D printing industry as they set the stage for future advances in the field.
First 3D printed house in Germany
Germany is a country often associated with cutting-edge engineering, so let's start our list with Germany's first ever 3D printed house.
The house itself is located in Beckum, a city that is partly located in North Rhine-Westphalia, next to Holland and Belgium. This is the first 3D printed house to be fully certified to official building codes. This project will give way to many other 3D printed construction projects in Germany as well as the rest of Europe. nine0003
The project is the result of a collaboration between German construction company Peri and Danish construction 3D printing firm COBOD. Peri is a large corporation that operates not only in Germany, but throughout the EU. Its portfolio includes many products, including scaffolding and formwork solutions that every construction site needs.
Peri followed the construction 3D printing segment for many years before acquiring a stake in COBOD in 2018. Now they are pushing the technology together and further. The construction of the house in Beckum began two years after the acquisition of the share. nine0003
For 3D printing at home, a BOD2 modular 3D printer from COBOD was used.
The printing itself took just over 100 hours.
• Built: (started) September 17, 2020
• Commissioned: summer 2021
• Where: Beckum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• By: Peri, COBOD
First occupied 3D printed home in the US
Several homes have been printed in the US, but this home is the first officially occupied home, according to CNN. Its creators: the construction company Alquist and the humanitarian organization Habitat for Humanity Peninsula. nine0003
From a distance, you might think that this is an ordinary house. However, when approaching it, the layered structure of the concrete walls becomes noticeable. After all, 3D printing creates an object in layers.
Surprisingly, the 111.5 square meter concrete structure of the house (was printed in about 12 hours, significantly faster than traditional construction methods would allow.
The house was reportedly bought by April Springfield, who lives there with her son and dog She bought the house through Habitat for Humanity's housing program, and given that the nonprofit's goal is to help solve the global housing crisis, it makes sense to use 3D printing to create affordable homes that will make many people's dreams of home ownership come true.
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• Built: 2021
• Commissioned: December 22, 2021
• Where: Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
• By: Alquist 3D, Habitat for Humanity Peninsula, Greater Williamsburg
The first five-story 3D printed house
This project, made by the Chinese company WinSun, is a real record holder. It is a 3D printed five-story residential building with a height of 10 meters - the tallest 3D printed building so far.
The house is located in Suzhou Industrial Park in Jiangsu province in eastern China. It stands next to a mansion that was also built by WinSun using a concrete 3D printer.
Looking at WinSun designs, you can't help but notice that they don't look like they've been 3D printed. Usually 3D printed structures are gray in color, the layer lines are clearly visible. But WinSun adds color and makes walls smoother. Nowhere is it stated how the company achieves the smoothness of the walls, but we assume that the workers smooth them by hand.
WinSun projects are not like the ones we're used to. nine0003
• Built: Winter 2014
• Commissioned: Not specified
• Where: Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
• By: WinSun
First 3D printed biodegradable house
Can you guess that there is rice in the walls of this house?
Most 3D printed buildings are made from concrete mix. But this project is different from the rest. With the aim of creating housing solutions with little to no environmental impact, Italian company WASP 3D printed Gay's house using soil and agricultural waste. nine0141 WASP developed the sustainable blend in collaboration with Ricehouse, a company that specializes in using natural and agricultural materials such as clay and rice in construction.
The house is named Gaia in honor of the ancient Greek goddess of the earth. In fact, 25% of the mixture contains local soil, 10% hydraulic lime, 25% rice husks and 40% crushed rice straw (a by-product of rice production at harvest).
An innovative solution not only in terms of material, but also in the design of the walls themselves. The specific corrugated structure was used to provide ventilation on warm days as well as insulation on cold periods, virtually eliminating the need for air conditioning. nine0003
Gay's house is small - about 20 square meters. The wall printing took only 10 days, while the estimated materials cost is just under $1,000.
• Built: not specified
• Commissioned: October 7, 2018
• Where: Massa Lombarda, Ravenna, Italy
• By: WASP, Ricehouse
AirBnB's first 3D printed home
The perfect weekend getaway.
You can find many different types of accommodation on AirBnB, but what about a 3D printed home? nine0003
The so-called Fibonacci house is the first 3D printed house to be offered for booking through AirBnB. Considering that it is located in rural British Columbia, it will be a wonderful place to stay.
Although the Fibonacci house looks small, it has a lot to offer vacationers.
About 35 square meters is enough to accommodate up to four people.
The concrete walls of the house were designed and printed by Dutch 3D printing firm Twente. 20 concrete parts were produced offsite in just 11 days. The material was produced by Laticrete. The parts were later transported and assembled at their current location. nine0003
• Built: 2020
• Commissioned: Not specified
• Where: Kootenays, British Columbia, Canada
• By: Twente Additive Manufacturing
First 3D printed houseboat
Prvok is not only the first 3D printed house in the Czech Republic, but the world's first floating 3D printed house on a pontoon.
The project was implemented by the start-up company Scoolpt. The concrete structure of the houseboat took only 22 hours to print. nine0003
Approximately 43 square meters of living space divided into bathroom, bedroom and living room with kitchen. Weight isn't usually discussed in the context of houses, but given that this one is on water, it's interesting to note that Prvok weighs 43 tons.
The house is equipped with a built-in recirculating shower and tanks for drinking and municipal water and has a service life of at least 100 years.
• Built: June 2020
• Commissioned: August 18, 2020
• Where: Prague, Czech Republic
• By: Scoolpt
Europe's first 3D printed residential house
Not every 3D printed house has visible line layers.
More often than not, 3D printed houses are demos made to show what the technology can do. For most of them there is no information about the actual residents. But in 2017, the couple did move to live in a 3D printed house located in Nantes, France. Thus, the house of "Yanov" became the first of its kind, which was inhabited in Europe. nine0003
The house is a project of the University and the Laboratory of Digital Sciences of Nantes. An interesting aspect of the project is the special technique used in its construction by BatiPrint3D. Instead of 3D printing a concrete structure, the robotic arm created wall shells using polyurethane, a material used for insulation.
Later, these membranes were filled with concrete.
It took a total of 54 hours to print. It took a little over 4 months to complete the construction. Mainly due to the fact that the rest of the components were created using conventional means. House area - 95 square meters.
• Built: 2017
• Commissioned: March 2018
• Where: Nantes, France
• By: University of Nantes, Nantes Digital Science Lab
India's first 3D printed house
This building was built in a couple of days.
India's first ever 3D printed house was completed back in 2020. The project was carried out by construction startup Tvasta, founded by graduates from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. In fact, the institute's Chennai campus was chosen as the location of the building. nine0003
The significance of this project lies in its possible impact on the solution of the housing crisis worldwide and in India in particular. The ability to build such a house within a few days and at a low cost cannot be underestimated.
House 55.7 sq.m. with a spacious layout, one bedroom, combined kitchen and living room.
The concrete structure of the house was 3D printed off site and the parts were later transported and assembled on campus. The foundation, meanwhile, was built using the conventional method of pouring concrete into the ground. nine0003
• Built: 2020
• Commissioned: Not specified
• Where: Chennai, India
• By: Tvasta Construction
Africa's first 3D printed house
Back in 2019, in the Moroccan city of Ben Guerir, Spanish firm Be More 3D created Africa's first 3D printed house. The project originated during the team's participation in the Solar Decathlon in Africa. This is an international competition during which teams design and build solar-powered houses. nine0003
Be More 3D printed house 32 sq.m. in about 12 hours, took first place and received the title of the most innovative startup.
Be More 3D didn't stop building in Africa and later created the first 3D printed house in Spain and developed its own concrete 3D printer in partnership with several corporations from the automation and materials industries.
• Built: 2019
• Commissioned: Not specified
• Where: Ben Guerir, Morocco
• By: Be More 3D
First 3D printed home for sale in the US
Last on our list is the first 3D printed home for sale in the US.
This house was printed in the same place by SQ4D, a company specializing in the development of robotic building systems. The building was printed with SQ4D's Arcs concrete extrusion system and has a 50-year warranty on the printed structure.
Living area of 130.7 sq.m. with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There is also a garage for 2 cars. nine0003
The house was listed for sale in January 2021 for $299,999. Considering the size of the house and the fact that it is priced 50% below the cost of comparable newly built houses in the same area, the deal is pretty good.
• Built: 2020
• Commissioned: 2021
• Where: Riverhead, New York, USA
• By whom: SQ4D
Translation source: https://m.
