The first building of what is currently the world’s largest concrete 3D printing project has been realised, located in Den Helder, the Netherlands, by construction company Bruil.

At Baskeweg, Den Helder, 154 apartments are renovated with 3D printed concrete elements. The original apartment buildings date from the 70s, and are now modernised using 3D printed concrete elements so that they can be used for at least another 40 years. The redesign of the flats was done by Kokon Architectuur en Stedenbouw.

The 1400 elements vary from 2 to 20 square metre each. The elements, like façade elements, balustrades, balconies, and columns, are printed in Bruil’s factory using a flexible robot. The robot took four years to develop and can move through the hall via a rail system. Each week, it prints 30 façade elements. The main advantage of 3D printing is that no mould is required and it provides more freedom in design.

The first of the two flats is now finished.

Photos: Bruil