As 3D-printed architecture continues to mature from niche proposition to disruptive technology, housing developments are beginning to roll out worldwide. Following pioneering projects like Wolf Ranch and the Community First! Village in the US comes another in Ireland, which was printed in impressive time.
Named Grange Close, the three-unit terraced social housing project is located in Louth, eastern Ireland, and created by HTL.tech. It measures 330 sq m (3,550 sq ft), which is divided into three separate homes with a floorspace of 110 sq m (1,184 sq ft) each, over two floors.
The development was completed in just 132 working days, from the initial site preparation to the handover of keys to the client, a local council which will finish furnishing the homes and rent them to social housing tenants at an affordable price. According to COBOD, which provided the 3D printer unit, this build time represents a 35% reduction in build time compared to typical build times of similar homes.
“Approximately 50% of the time savings came directly from 3D printing the wall system,” explains COBOD. “The remaining savings were achieved through the precision of 3D construction printing, which enables seamless integration of other building components – such as partition walls, floor systems, and trusses – to already be considered during the planning and preparation phases, resulting in a more efficient construction process.”
COBOD
The printing process involved COBOD’s BOD2 printer, which extruded a cement-like mixture out of a nozzle in layers while following a blueprint, creating the structure of the building. The same 3D printer model has also been used on the Wave House data center in Europe and an Indian post office.
It took seven days to create the ground floor, then another five days to do the top floor. Finally, human builders came in and finished everything off, with a roof system and electrical systems. This of course made up the vast majority of the build time.
Though we only have a photo of one of the kitchens, it looks just like any other modern house. Indeed, unlike some higher-end housing like the Wolf Ranch, it doesn’t have the telltale ribbed walls that show it’s a 3D-printed house.
Brandon Schuster/HTL.tech
Since the project was completed, HTL.tech has made some tweaks and expects that future projects of a similar size will be reduced from 12 days to just nine days of printing time.
