Dutch Designer Creates World's First 3D Printed Concrete House

It's official-construction will begin this year on the world's first 3D printed concrete house being built and occupied.

It will be a single-storey house and is expected to be occupied in the first half of 2019.

Ultimately, there will be five futuristic homes in the landmark development, located in the Dutch city of Eindhoven. The other four houses in the

development will be multi-storey dwellings. All five houses will comply with normal building regulations, and they will all meet the comfort, layout, quality and price requirements of today's occupants.

Project Milestone is Eindhoven Municipality, Eindhoven University of Technology, contractor Van Wijnen, real estate manager Vesteda, Joint venture between materials company Saint Gobain-Weber Beamix and engineering company Witteveen + Bos. Vesteda, the

prospective buyer, will turn the homes over to tenants.

During the project, new innovations will be studied for concrete printing. Five houses will be built in succession, so each time these innovations and all the lessons learned can be applied to the next house. The architectural elements of the

first house will be printed by the university's concrete printer. The intention is to gradually transfer the entire construction work to the construction site. The final house will be fully realized on site, including the printing work.

Eindhoven is a hot spot for 3D concrete printing, and the research group of Theo Salet, professor of concrete technology, and its concrete printer are key elements. The organization recently printed the world's first 3D printed concrete bridge for cyclists in the village of Gemert.

The university says 3D printing of concrete is a potential "game-changer" for the construction industry.

"In addition to being able to build 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 in one product. This makes it possible to integrate various functions into the same architectural element. "

The university says the process can easily incorporate the individual desires of each house at minimal cost.".

"Another important advantage is sustainability, because less concrete is needed and therefore less cement, which reduces the CO2 emissions from cement production."