Real estate developer AKF and construction 3D printing company 3DCP Group recently explored the construction of a 3D printed building using one of the most widely used materials in construction: concrete.
As this material is known for its environmental impact and relatively high CO2 emissions, the two Danish companies decided to utilize a low CO2 cement. With 3D printed concrete, many new opportunities are emerging to reduce the carbon footprint, they say.
“3D printing is an adaptive construction process where material is added only where necessary. In the process, it is determined how much material should be used in different building components, making it possible to create buildings where concrete is only added where it is structurally necessary. This allows for a reduction in resource consumption and can bring significant environmental and economic benefits while providing greater freedom in the architectural design of the building,” AFK said.
With a carbon footprint 30% lower than that of normal cement, the low CO2 cement was mixed with local sand and gravel before being transformed into 3D printable concrete using the D.fab admixtures method. Â As a reminder, Cemex and COBOD developed this method in 2021 to help achieve a cost reduction in 3D concrete printing materials. Compared to 3D printing of mortars, the low CO2 cement 3D printable concrete reduces the CO2 footprint with 50%.
The whole community building was 3D printed using five printing days. The finished community building will be 72 m2 (775 SF) and contain a gym, a guest room and common laundry facility for the residents of the surrounding apartment buildings.
Saga Architects who also designed the first building 3DCP Group made in Denmark, the tiny house in Hobro, strived to make the community building appear even more forthcoming and friendly by using a lot of wood for the decorative parts and organic shapes for the walls, a detail virtually impossible to make with conventional methods.
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