The first two 2-storey 3D printed buildings in North America

Canadian 3D constructing company nidus3D, using a 3D construction printer by COBOD, completed this month the very first multi-storey buildings of North America, one in Ontario, Canada, and one in Houston, Texas in the US.

While in the US and Canada several buildings have been 3D printed, these were all single storey buildings. The building in Canada was the first 2-storey building, the one in the US followed soon after.

For both projects, a BOD2 3D construction printer by COBOD was used. The printer can print with real concrete with a particle size up to 10mm and 99% based on locally found raw materials.

The Ontario building has a studio on the ground floor and a residence above. The area of the building is 2,300 square feet (213 m2) of mixed-use space. A horizontal beam was printed on site and lifted into place by a crane. The total building cost only 80 hours to print.

The Houston building was designed by HANNAH architects and 3D printed by PERI with CIVE as the general contractor. It is also the largest 3D printed residence in the US as of now with its 4,000 square feet (370 m2). The construction method was hybridized, using concrete 3D printing and wood framing, allowing the two material systems to be used strategically and aiming to increase the applicability of 3D printing.

The building design is conceptualized as a series of printed cores that contain functional spaces and stairs. The spatial cores are connected by wood framing to produce an architectural alternation of concrete and framed interiors. The project’s scalable design and construction process is applicable for multifamily housing and mixed-use construction.

Photos via COBOD