A 3D printed social housing project that broke ground in late 2023 has been completed. The development, based in Lünen, Germany, was funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and consists of six affordable units measuring between 61m² (670 square feet) to 81m² (890 square feet). According to German news sources, the first tenants, Joachim and Constanze Lippmann, moved in in January.
We first wrote about the housing project when it was announced and now, one-and-a-half years later, we are heartened to see that it has been completed successfully. The building process, which brought on construction 3D printing specialist PERI 3D Construction, relied on a combination of additive manufacturing and more conventional construction methods. This hybrid approach was in part due to the fact that the building is three stories tall: while the first two stories were constructed using a COBOD 3D printer, the third story was made using timber and cladding. Additionally, the apartment building integrates a conventional foundation and filigree slabs.
(Photo: WBG Lünen)
The six-unit building took just 118 hours to 3D print, while the entire project, from start to finish, took about 1.5 years to complete. In future, as the construction 3D printing process becomes more standardized and integrated with conventional construction methods, one could envision homes being built at even more rapid rates.
Manufacturing on Demand
WBG Lünen, a housing cooperative in Lünen was the key force behind the project, as it wanted to demonstrate construction 3D printing’s potential not only for building novelty structures or ultra-design-focused spaces, but also for standard, liveable homes. The development reportedly cost 1.9 million euros, making the 3D printed housing more expensive than a conventionally built counterpart, however, that is somewhat to be expected for the first build. According to Jan Hische, a board member of the housing association, he expects there would be cost and time benefits for a standardized housing development with many identical structures.
(Photo: WBG Lünen)
For the tenants of the social housing development, however, the living cost will be kept low. The monthly rent prices will be six euros per square meter (or 366 to 486 euros per apartment). Besides the affordable rent, the new tenants seem to be enjoying living in such a unique spot. Constanze Lippmann told German media she thought the 3D printed home was extraordinary and only wished that more elements inside the apartment, such as the bathroom, also had the 3D printed look.
The German social housing project is among the first of its kind. Also recently, in Ireland, a 3D printed social housing project was completed, and more are underway in Australia and beyond. You can read more in a
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Author: Tess Boissonneault
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