The Most Innovative 3D Printed House In The World [Mense-Korte]

Architecture firm Mense-Korte has done an incredible job exploring uncharted territory with this design printed by a Cobod BOD 2 in concrete. Let's dive into the details of this build and examine some of the design choices they made that make this project so unique and before its time. I would imagine after completing this project there are many new things Mense-Korte and Cobod are planning on trying next!

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I’ve recently put out a video on my YouTube channel about the most innovative 3D printed house in the world. Of course every 3D printed house at this stage of the industry is innovative but the consideration in design and architecture that went into this project demonstrates a new level for digital fabrication of shelter.

Mense-Korte is the architecture firm behind this project and COBOD manufactured the 3D printer that was used. There was certainly an extensive education process to clearly illustrate the capabilities of the concrete printer to the architects. Mense-Korte brought outside the box thinking and detail oriented German engineering to the table. The longstanding debate of offsite vs onsite printing has been answered on this project that marries the benefits of both to compensate for some of the limitations of 3D printing concrete, mostly the fact that it can’t print in mid air. By printing certain components off site they were able to add overhangs and other features that couldn’t be printed in mid air on site.

Other features of the building like a bath and a fireplace were also 3D printed into the building. There is a vast universe of unexplored potential implementing this technology and this project goes further than any other into new territories. As architects and construction firms figure out what should and should not be printed the efficiency of this technology is increasing even if we ignore improvements to the hardware or software itself.

The on site portion of this project was done with a protective tent like structure around the building. A protective layer around the printer can make it much easier to maintain consistent temperature and humidity parameters, also mitigating any wind. Creating an environment in homeostasis makes the print process much smoother in terms of printed line aesthetics and the concrete cures stronger under optimal conditions which can be achieved in a closed environment. The real question is whether or not the benefits of the tent are worth the added expense. For this project it was because it is meant to showcase the state of the art in its best form. Other outdoors projects can have post processing like manually applied stucco or even alternative print heads COBOD has developed to give a smooth finish to the concrete.

I believe architecture and design is one of the biggest missing links when it comes to implementing this technology on a massive scale and Mense-Korte is off to a great start. As more firms educate themselves on the possibilities of 3D printed construction we will only see better and better designs at increasing levels of efficiency. One of the most important areas this is happening is within the MEP (Mechanical Electrical Plumbing) systems. Making considerations for these things in advance means the printer can intentionally leave spacing where need be as opposed to cutting holes in drywall later on in the process.

As this technology becomes more advanced ancillary products will emerge that take advantage of the layer by layer strategy 3D printers use. Every aspect of the home must be rethought and optimized for printing, things like electrical and plumbing should simply be placed where they belong at the proper stage of the print along with and reinforcement. This method could eliminate almost all the heavy lifting on the construction project besides the roof.

[Solitude-]

I love the organic feel of these buildings, curves and such, so much nicer than square boxes.

[eyes]

The cost wood has gone up like 300%, so if that 3D tech takes off, demand for wood will go down.

[Timzart]

This was good at showing all that is involved with the setup of the printing equipment. I'm retired and as a hobby, for years I've read about various ways homes are built. 3D printing is something that I watched emerge, and when they applied it to home building I found it mind-boggling. It is something no one predicted or expected.

In my lifetime, I would like to see something come along that is totally disruptive regarding sustainability, build-time, durability, and affordability. Not sure if 3D printing is it, but it's still exciting.

[OwenWithAHammer]

As someone who's very skeptical of 3D printed concrete, this is a very impressive and efficient execution!

[mcjr]

I have a very short attention span and still watched every second with great interest :)

[Andytlp]

Going full circle. This is like a mud hut in a way. Looks very organic and cozy.

[psilonautika]

Wow! Thanks Jarett for the very informative content as always. Grateful to viewing your videos and your dedication to staying extremely busy. I'm wanting to learn more and incorporate building some 3D printed structures out on my property in the desert. Keep up the good work!

[AmerBoyo]

A prime example of working smarter, not harder, this will be revolutionary I’m sure:)

[onjofilms]

As an electronic technician, and licensed builder, this is the future. More practical is a row of houses where the printer runs down a track. I also feel it is more practical when it comes to single houses to print all units in a warehouse and build after transport. Non-structural components can be built out of aircrete further reducing the cost. As for those worried about loss of jobs, I remember my builder father talking about the same debate when the power saw was invented, replacing the hand saw.

[digiacomtech]

Two more points:

1) once they have the printer setup and the foundation laid you set a physical center point (e.g. a post or target marker). The printer can then zero itself to that point periodically or any time as required. This way, it doesn't matter if the printer support posts move/shift as any/all printing will revolve about that center/zero point regardless of how the printer hardware move around it over time. This is a standard practice in machining.

2) I'd like to see them start doing a second pass that smoothest out the walls while it is still pliable. That is, print a few rows and then run a smoothing pass. This could be done with some form of trowling attachment or perhaps a powered cement grinding attachment.

[CowboyOdie]

We stopped building log houses 100 years ago, but we still use a lot of wood. This is the upgrade the world's been waiting for.

[johndavenport]

This is the best video on 3D Construction Printing I have see. God job to Jarett and Mense-Korte

[whichkatami]

As a contractor of modular homes, I can appreciate this technology. Right now it costs me, in my area, $150 a sq ft to build and finish a modular, turn key. That’s $260, 000 for 2000 sq ft., not including a bunch of other items, like permits, soil work, footers, etc. A 650 sq ft, 3d home is $4000, (concrete, not including items like Hvac, wiring, roof, etc., so says ads. Still, if it’s under 100K, that’s a big savings.

[jacqsm]

South Africa needs this!!! Our property market is here to keep us poor and homeless!!

[tigeroll]

This is the future! Forget wood framed houses!

[RickyDownhillRDH]

This is really cool stuff, I'm excited to see more and more of this technology. It'll be awesome when they've really figured it out!!

[randolphschreiner]

It's great to see you can take the kit on one flatbed semi and rent the crane for assembly and dis assembly. This is how I always envisioned this. Beautiful.

[CosmoCreed]

This channel is gold. Glad i found it.

[stephanienassall]

These New possibilities are so wunderful.

[chuck]

What interest me is the wind resistant shapes and the various kinds of construction material other than concrete that maintain their indoor temperature despite the weather conditions.