ICE → 3D concrete printing revolutionizes construction and architecture

Concrete 3D Printing: A revolution in construction and a new architectural style

Text: Jana Bohutínská, photo: ICE

The biggest Czech 3D concrete printing farm will be built in Žďár nad Sázavou under the guidance of ICE Industrial Services who specialize in industrial automation for MTX Group companies. ICE Coral print farm has the ambition to become a world leader in construction automation. Printing concrete houses would give people a fast and affordable home, while also creating a new architectural style.

Over the past 70 years, technology in the construction industry has hardly changed. Therefore, there’s room for innovation such as 3D concrete printing. Using robots means the frame can be built in three days. “We want to make construction and housing more affordable,” says Tomáš Vránek, the ICE Industrial Services founder and CEO. At ICE Coral, we have an innovation team of roughly 35 experts in construction, concrete technology, 3D printing, and automation as well as engineers and architects.

Hundreds of tons of material tested

Dominik Stupka is in charge of 3D concrete printing and explains that it’s a multidisciplinary project consisting of a number of aspects. One is construction, focused on making the 3D printer itself. “ICE has been a key player in this field for a long time since making industrial automation machines is our primary focus. The other aspects were new for us and we had to acquire expertise in them,” he explains. The main area we had to master was the material – developing concrete and mixing cement with sand so it can be used in the 3D printer. Normal concrete can’t be used with this machine. “In the Czech Republic alone, there are several types of cement and dozens of types of sand, each of which with different properties. In the rest of the world, there are even more types of material. That's why we have a lab team that develops material and tests it. We have used hundreds of tons of materials just to test their functionality,” Stupka explains. The last aspect is architecture which is why a team of architects and structural engineers are working on the project as well. “3D concrete printing isn’t just about replacing bricks. In our opinion, the possibilities this technology offers will create a new architectural style around the globe,” he explains. Printed houses don’t have to have right angles, they can be highly customized and they can integrate all the technological elements inside the house. Therefore, designing and building these houses is similar to engineering. The model is designed completely on a computer where the client can inspect it and the machine will then accurately print it.

Concrete 3D Printing

• Printing frames is up to five times faster.

• It also saves up to 70% more material compared to classic concrete casting.

• Thanks to a unique print head, it can use classic concrete materials to print anywhere in the world.

• Paving the way to the 2022-2023 plan to print a series of houses across the globe and to open the first concrete-printed school in the northern hemisphere in Žďár nad Sázavou in the summer of 2023.

Printed houses are more environmentally friendly

According to Dominik Stupka, the project is interesting and unique because many sectors work in synergy with each other. "It's a challenge. And we have an ambitious goal: We want to use our expertise to become the only 3D concrete printer in 10 years,” he says. This vision is based, just like automation in other sectors, on the fact that construction currently faces a critical worker shortage. “Besides, we expect construction to evolve similarly to the automotive industry – a strong focus on precision and efficiency that only machines can execute. Even in construction, you move to the position of developing and controlling machines instead of doing manual work," he explains. Building houses using 3D concrete printing is more environmentally friendly as well. Part of the whole construction process is developing computer programs that can find optimal construction shapes that require less material without sacrificing material strength and structural properties. Also, the house will be built with gaps for cables, so you don’t need to cut into the concrete, which means less waste.

A house prototype and shared expertise

This June, we finished a long research and development project, and printed the first open-air concrete house on our company land in Žďár nad Sázavou. The prototype covers 70sqm and will be used for long-term structural testing. It will be regularly 3D-scanned to check the long-term properties of the house. The labs are now testing Ukrainian materials for concrete production. In addition to street furniture, the company has also printed defensive concrete roadblocks for Ukraine. The next step is supplying printers to Ukraine and other countries, so people can print concrete elements on site. ICE Coral’s extensive expertise combines construction with engineering and high technology. The company also connects leading academic and corporate experts at the EIMAC Institute (European Institute for Materials, Automation and Construction), which ICE co-founded. “EIMAC aims to unite experts focused on new construction materials, designing modern structures, architecture, and robot automation technology specializing in concrete prefabrication and monoliths,” says Rudolf Hela, one of the co-founding members and professor at the Institute of Technology of Building Materials and Components. EIMAC partners with the ETH university in Zurich, CTU in Prague, Siemens, Mapei and Sika.