The world’s first 3D-printed house with concrete walls and 3D-printed window frames, in Tumba, Sweden. A collaboration between ConcretePrint and NorDan.
Will the houses of the future be printed in concrete? Many people look to preserve energy in everything they do, be it perfecting the way they drive to work, shower or eat. The construction trade is no different – John Sempill looks into whether 3D printing might offer a new, more sustainable way to build with concrete. BY JOHN SEMPILL |
PHOTOS: CONCRETEPRINT
Traditionally, the construction sector has been plagued with unsustainable habits, risk aversion and a tendency to do things ‘the good old way’. However, Swedish start-up, ConcretePrint, is looking to disrupt the game by printing homes instead of building them. “A house as big as 150 m2 can be built between 24 and 48 hours,” says founder, Tobias von Haslingen. What does this mean in the long run? According to ConcretePrint, 76 |
Issue 06 |
February 2023
it means a cut in production costs by 30 per cent, as well as less planning and less transport and, crucially, the method almost eliminates all waste product.
where between 40-100 litres, and that is basically in the printer cleaning process and when the first bit of concrete is pumped through the printer system.”
“We can basically utilise all of the planned material,” says von Haslingen. “If we print a 150 m2 villa, we might use a total of 30 m3 concrete, for inner and outer walls et cetera, and we might throw away some-
A CLOSER LOOK AT CONCRETE Concrete is interesting in itself, but its production is not without controversy. Traditional methods of making cement and concrete involve extremely high temperatures