3D construction printing company used the ‘real concrete’ BOD2 printer from COBOD
Canadian 3D construction printing company, nidus3D, has erected what it claims to be the first multi-storey 3D printed building in North America – a house in Ontario, Canada.
nidus3D used the BOD2 printer from COBOD, whose technology has already been used to 3D print the first two and three storey buildings in Europe.
The BOD2 can print with real concrete with a particle size up 10mm and 99% based on locally found raw materials. COBOD developed the low cost solution, which is called D.Fab in cooperation with the cement giant Cemex.
The 2-storey house will have a studio on the ground floor and a residence above, and the area of the building will be 2,300 square feet of mixed-use space.
According to nidus3D, one of the new innovative methods used on the project was a 3D printed horizontal beam printed on site and lifted into place by a crane.
“We have critical shortfall of skilled labourers, and a massive and growing demand for housing all across Canada,” said Ian Arthur, one of the nidus3D founders. “If we do not begin to look at new ways of building, we’re never going to catch up. It is part of our core values, to seek solutions to address the housing crisis and to help build affordable housing with the help of 3D printing.”
nidus3D explains that one of the many advantages of 3D concrete printed houses is that they can be built quickly. The complete building took 80 hours to print, down from 200 hours for its first 3D printed building and nidus3D is convinced that future buildings will be made even faster.
“Our technology and 3D construction printers enables faster execution of construction projects, as well as more efficient construction at lower cost due to the lower labour requirements and usage of low-cost concrete,” said Philip Lund-Nielsen, Co-Founder & Head of Americas at COBOD International.
