Back in 2012, two technologies emerged that promised to build homes in less than 24 hours using a 3D printer. Since then, both Contour Crafting and 3D concrete printing have made progress, but not enough to print a house in a day. Now the Netherlands is going to take a crack at it with a publicly funded project called 3D Print Canal House.
3ders reports that DUS Architects intends to build the first 3D printed home in Amsterdam this year. The company will be taking advantage of the 400-year-old tradition of building canal houses to prove that 3D printed housing is not only possible, but financially feasible.
As you would expect, the 3D printer being used in the construction is one of the largest yet. The custom-made 3D printer has an enormous build volume of 2x2x3.5 meters. Canal houses are typically tall buildings to withstand flooding from the canals they’re built so close to so the 3.5 meter height of the printer ensures that rooms will be at least 11 feet tall. The 3D printer will be able to print 6x6x11 foot rooms that will then be assembled into a house.
Of course, a large build volume is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to successfully 3D printing a house. The material has to be strong enough to stand on its own as its built. DUS Architects won’t say what kind of material they’re using yet, but it’s reportedly a sustainable material built by adhesives company Henkel.
To help support the project, Amsterdam will allow the public to observe the 3D printer as it makes the house as part of what it calls the Construction Expo starting March 1. There will be an admission fee which the city will use to fund the project in the long term.
Here’s a video of the 3D printer:
3D Print Canal House from DUS Architects on Vimeo.
Image via DUS Architects/YouTube