Eindhoven to get first 3D printed house next year

Eindhoven will get its first habitable 3D printed concrete house next year, the municipality of Eindhoven, Eindhoven University of Technology and the four companies involved announced on Wednesday. According to TU Eindhoven, this is the first 3D printed house in the world that people will actually live in.

Project Milestone will eventually consist of five 3D printed homes in the Eindhoven neighborhood of Meerhoven. The five homes will be built one after the other, so that improvements and extensions can be implemented each time. The first house will have only one floor and will be printed off-site. The final house will consist of three floors and be printed on location.

3D concrete printing has the potential to drastically change construction in terms of sustainability, affordability, speed and freedom of form and choice, according to the university.

As these homes will actually be lived in, they will have to comply with the applicable building regulations and the requirements of residents when it comes to layout, comfort, quality and affordability. If all goes according to plan, the first tenants should be able to move into the first 3D printed house in mid-2019. 

The companies working with TU Eindhoven and the municipality on Project Milestone are Van Wijen, Vesteda, Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix and Witteveen+Bos. The strikingly curvy buildings were designed by Houben/Van Mierlo architects, who took inspiration from boulders in a green landscape.