News

Credits: Backbone

The first 3D-concrete printing housing project

In the city of Eindhoven (The Netherlands) the realization of the first of five planned 3D-printed concrete houses will start this year. The project, called Project Milestone, is a world’s first, as the houses will all be occupied. The project partners (municipality of Eindhoven, Eindhoven University of Technology, contractor Van Wijnen, real estate manager Vesteda, materials company Saint Gobain-Weber Beamix and engineering firm Witteveen+Bos) revealed the design and the building site today.

The project will be realized in the Eindhoven city expansion area Meerhoven over the next five years. The first house, which will be a single-floor house, is expected to be ready for occupation end 2019. The other four houses will be multi-storey houses. Vesteda is the prospective buyer and will let the houses to tenants. The concrete dwellings will be subject to all the regular building regulations and will meet the demands of current-day occupants concerning comfort, lay-out, quality and pricing.

The design of the houses is based on erratic blocks in a green landscape. The irregular shape of the buildings can be realized thanks to one of the key features of 3D-printing: the ability to construct almost any shape. The design aims at a high level of quality and sustainability. For example, the houses will not have a natural gas connection, which is quite rare in the Netherlands.

Realtime innovation

During the project, research on concrete printing will be done for new innovations. The five houses will be built consecutively, so these innovations and all lessons learnt can be applied in the next house. The building elements of the first house will all be printed by the concrete printer at the university. It is the intention to gradually shift the whole construction work to the construction site. The last house will be fully realized on site, including the print work.

Eindhoven is a hot spot for 3D-concrete printing, with the research group of concrete technology professor Theo Salet and its concrete printer as pivotal elements. The group recently printed world’s first 3D-printed concrete bridge for cyclists in the village of Gemert.

Game changer

3D-printing of concrete is a potential game changer in the building industry. Besides the ability to construct almost any shape, it also enables architects to design very fine concrete structures. Another new possibility is to print all kinds, qualities and colors of concrete, all in a single product. This enables integration of all sorts of functions in one and the same building element. Also it becomes easy to incorporate individual wishes for every single house, at minimum extra costs. Another important advantage is sustainability, as much less concrete is needed and hence much less cement, which reduces the CO2 emissions originating from cement production.

Share it
  • National and international media attention

    The 3D concrete printed houses have a lot of national and international media attention. A long list of international top media has made news or video items in recent weeks. Below an overview.

  • Cooperation agreement signed during Provada

    During the real estate fair Provada, the Municipality of Eindhoven, Technical University of Eindhoven and the companies Van Wijnen, Vesteda, Saint Gobain-Weber Beamix and Witteveen + Bos signed the cooperation agreement to create the first 3D-concrete printed house in the world.

  • The first 3D-concrete printing housing project

    In the city of Eindhoven (The Netherlands) the realization of the first of five planned 3D-printed concrete houses will start this year. The project, called Project Milestone, is a world’s first, as the houses will all be occupied. The project partners (municipality of Eindhoven, Eindhoven University of Technology, contractor Van Wijnen, real estate manager Vesteda, materials company Saint...

  • Letter of Intent

    On Monday 24 October 2016, the Municipality of Eindhoven and Eindhoven University of Technology signed the letter of intent to realize the first 3D-concrete printed house in the world. Alderman Yasin Torunoglu and director of operations Suzanne Udo (TU/e) announced this ambition during Dutch Design Week 2016. The letter of intent states that both parties endeavor to realise a 3D-concrete...

Partners

Project Milestone is made possible by

Read more