What are the pros and cons of concrete 3D printed buildings?

In partnership with The European Commission
What are the pros and cons of concrete 3D printed buildings?
Copyright euronews
By Julian GOMEZ
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Buildings made by concrete 3D printers might be the homes of the future. According to researchers they require fewer materials, thus making them more eco-friendly. But why aren't they being made across the board already?

The house in the photo above was printed in just three weeks using a novel concrete 3D printing technology. It is the first one-piece, two-storey concrete 3D printed building in the world.

The project manager at Kamp C, the experimental campus for sustainable architecture, where this house was built, told us about some of the advantages of this revolutionary construction technique-and what still needs to be improved.

Marijke Aerts, Kamp C Project Manager:

"There are a lot of advantages with this technology, such as using less material to print because we only print there where the material is needed. We also have less waste because, for instance, we don'´t need moulds to pour the concrete into. We don't transport as much to the building site either. There is also a big advantage in the variety of shapes and forms that the design of the final house can have. But why is it that companies don´t use this technology that much yet? It is because there are also some disadvantages. Some techniques need to be explored further. For example, when the design is made, you need to transform it into a printable design, and you need the right software to do that. So we need more experience, more know-how to get the most out of this technology".

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