A 3D-printed architecture town has brought a huge change in the Eindhoven town of the Netherlands. After the construction of a 3D-printed bridge in the city, five rental homes constructed using the latest technology is also planned. The project is the courtesy of a collaboration between the Technical University of Eindhoven and many firms. Very few 3D printed homes were seen in the past years which included models by Apis Core, Arup and CLS Architetti, and New Story.
This project is named as Project Milestone. It is the first which we know which is specifically built for people to live in. The project will be developed in the next five years and involve the contribution of the contractor Van Wijnen, real estate manager. The homes are given the shape of large stones which are scattered everywhere in a field. The first house was a single story home which has a total floor space of 95 sqm. It is divided into a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, a toilet, a bathroom and a storeroom. The other four homes are expected to be complex. They will have two-story units with terraces. The idea is to complete the building of the first model and then follow it up to speed up the process of the other one.
The construction process is similar to another 3D-printed architecture project we have seen which involved a large 3D printing machine. It extruded a cement mixture out of a nozzle in layers to build up a structure. Once the team has made the structure ready, it will then be transported to the site in the form of various sections for assembly. The assembly is then followed by a human worker to finish off the home with windows, wiring, a roof and other objects.
The plan is for the fifth and final house to be printed on-site with a transportable 3D printer. The construction of the final house is expected to begin this year and will be ready to be occupied in early 2019. The remaining homes will be completed accordingly. The actual rental cost of the 3D-printed homes has not been revealed yet but a Technical University of Eindhoven representative said that the rates will be affordable for the people.
