Located in a suburb of Eindhoven, Netherlands, this boulder-shaped concrete house – the first of five within ‘Project Milestone’ – is the first 3D-printed home in Europe where people actually live.
The house is a detached single-story home with 94 square meters of net floor area, a spacious living room and two bedrooms in the Eindhoven neighborhood of Bosrijk. The home is shaped like a large boulder, which fits in well with the natural location and nicely demonstrates the freedom of form that is offered by 3D concrete printing. Thanks to extra-thick insulation and a connection to the heat grid, the home is highly comfortable and energy-efficient, with an energy performance coefficient of 0.25.
Residential real estate investor Vesteda is the owner of the house, which it rents out to private tenants. The home was designed by Dutch architects Houben & Van Mierlo and informed by the shape of a boulder.
“3D concrete printing’s freedom of form creates an enormous new scope of possibilities in the design and experience of a home,” said Pieter Knauff, Chief Investment Officer, Vesteda. “At the same time, this new technique contributes to the required sustainability in the construction industry, the acceleration of building production and the control of construction costs, which is much needed in order to continue building affordable homes.”
The house consists of 24 printed concrete elements which were printed layer by layer at the printing plant in Eindhoven. The elements were transported by truck to the building site and placed on a foundation. The house was then provided with a roof and frames, and the finishing touches applied.
Inside, the home’s stacked concrete walls were left exposed to reveal its layered texture. Floor-to-ceiling windows interrupt the concrete layers and are recessed within its thick walls.
The home includes an open-plan kitchen-diner and living area that occupies over half of the floor plan, while a large double bedroom and bathroom are contained within the remainder of the home.
Project Milestone is a collaboration between the Eindhoven University of Technology and a number of construction specialists, and was designed with the aim of learning from it to help broaden the production of 3D-printed homes.
The scheme will build five 3D-printed homes, with each home becoming more complex through the use of different printing techniques and the addition of multiple storeys.
“With this small building, a first major step has been taken today in the development of construction into a high-quality manufacturing industry,” says Theo Salet, Professor of Concrete Structures, Eindhoven University of Technology. “From design to implementation, digitalization leads to sustainable and affordable homes tailored to the wishes of the occupant. I’m proud that the knowledge we’ve developed at TU/e has led to this innovation by industry, with the help of the municipality, within a short timeframe.”