How Europe's biggest 3D-printed building is being constructed | DW News

In Heidelberg, Europe's biggest 3D-printed building is under construction: using additive concrete. The pros: fewer workers are needed and the procedure is supposed to be more climate-friendly. Are 3D printers the construction workers of the future?

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[mikehicks]

This is not "building a house", it's pouring concrete. Saying it only takes 3 people is a blatant lie. Where's the plumbing? Electrical? How about a roof? What about setting up the massive printer and huge tank of concrete on site?

[andresortizmasso]

I hope someday they invent accessible prices for housing 😢

[Erik_The_Viking]

I like the idea of 3D printing of buildings and housing, as it has a lot of potential. My questions are with long-term maintenance, plumbing, electrical, upgrades, etc.

[fakshen]

Pouring concrete into rebar reinforced frames would be faster than setting up and tearing down this elaborate printer.

[johnnymazare]

At 3:21 in the video, on the left side of the image, there is a huge vertical crack in the wall closest to the camera. 😂

[patrickrichard]

I like this and I suppose that for colder climates this could be used to print all the way from foundations to external wall with cavities that could be filled with insulation. I also suppose that the printer could work around inserted door jambs and window frames.

[markplain]

I can see an Architectural potential of splendor. I think it is not too much to later plaster the walls smooth (if needed). But those 'ripple effects' are truly remarkable. We can now for the first time make beautiful shaped curves with perfection.

[menschin]

A few years ago I saw a 3Dprinter which built a house. That was amazing, but this is a new scale. Hope it works well.

[infantiltinferno]

This tech is interesting, but adoption seems to be slow. I remember watching a video on this over 10 years ago and it has yet to take off.

[elmarchristen]

Concrete production is an important CO2 contributor. This method needs tons of it, way mare than traditional methods.
Better use prefabricated elements: faster, less impact, cheaper.

[Chuyendailylife]

These bushcraft videos are like therapy

[pw]

We have very similar in the US. I wonder how seismically durable these structure are.

[Telencephelon]

BTW: There is no need for the ripple effect. You could scrape this flat right off the nozzle.
It just goes to show how little viable this thing still is. It's mostly just artsy fartsy. It makes no sense over prefab slabs + robotic assembly on site. Especially given the stringent criteria for concrete delivery and hardening.

[flailmail]

Glad to see this tech progressing and becoming more efficient. Hoping one day for continual full frame extrusion designs, that will be a game changer.

[Siranoxz]

We know 3d house printing is potentially the future, but it has to be standardized industrial wide and if the technology is reliable and fast then it could be the main standard for house construction and perhaps apartment complexes too.

[-_T]

I live in a cold area. I would want to fill cavity once cement is cured with closed cell foam for insulation. I assume in stages with height of building this is possible.

[tonycosta]

Six months to build the shell of a mid size building is awful. They still need to do floors, roof, insulation, all the mechanicals and electrical, not to mention finishing work.

[argotcalo]

That amount of concrete looks expensive, especially for an industrial building.

[jkfdkjjd]

"Chikaeze Ugwu" is an awesome name for someone! Sounds dope <3

[markm.]

What is bearing capacity of such walls without rebars? What will they do if there is a need for big openings for windows and doors? What will happen with the walls if they start to pour the walls during rain? Overall I feel that those 3D-printers will work only for small constructions with weird/unusual geometry.