A 3D printer is taking home building to a new level. A massive 12-ton 3D printer built the first 3D-printed two-story house in the U.S. The 1,220 square meter house was built in Houston and took 330 hours of printing. This is the first multistory printed structure in the United States. The innovative technique could be extended to the rapid and economical construction of apartment buildings.

The project is the climax of a two-year collaborative effort between boundary-pushing design researchers and industry partners. In collaboration with building industry partners, HANNAH, PERI 3D Construction, and CIVE, it printed this single-family home that combines customized architectural design and a solid structural system that powers a hybridized construction method.

“The 4,000-square foot project showcases the possibilities of 3D printing technology, mass customization, and design solutions that integrate conventional construction methods. With a hybridized construction method that combines concrete 3D printing with wood framing, this approach allows the two material systems to be used strategically and aims to increase the applicability of 3D printing in the U.S., where framing is one of the most common construction techniques,” HANNAH points out.

3D-printed houses are gaining popularity

3D-printed houses are becoming more and more popular in America and also in other countries of the world. However, the construction of a two-story building was a big challenge.

“You can find a lot of 3D-printed buildings in many states. One of the things about printing a second story is you require, you know, the machine, and of course, there are other challenges: structural challenges, logistic challenges when we print a second-story building,” Leslie Lok, co-founder of design studio Hannah and designer of the home said to Reuters.

Hikmat Zerbe, Cive’s head of structural engineering, underlines to Reuters that “traditional construction, you know the rules, you know the game, you know the material properties, the material behavior. Here, everything is new. The material is new, although concrete is an old material in general, 3D printing concrete is something new.”

The multistory 3D structure consists of a series of printed cores that enclose functional spaces and stairs. According to the HANNAH, the project’s scalable design and construction process apply to multifamily housing and mixed-use construction. Using the COBOD BOD2 gantry printer, the project uses its modularity for its design layout.

The future of homebuilding

3D printing is a relatively new technology for additive manufacturing objects through the successive coating of some ceramic or polymer material. This particular method was invented by Chulk Hull in 1982 and has been developed significantly in recent years. Back in 2021, the first 3D-printed house was licensed for sale in the United States. A few months later, in October 2021, the first village of houses printed on 3D printers was created in Mexico. The reduction of the required personnel and the reduction of the cost of using the materials makes 3D-printed houses much more economical. The only thing that cannot yet be “measured” is their durability over time.