3D-printed housing has quickly moved from futuristic experiment to real-world construction. In a striking step forward, Contec Australia has unveiled what may be the nation’s most advanced example yet: a two-story home entirely 3D-printed across both floors in just 18 hours.
The project, located in Tapping, Perth, is one of the very few houses worldwide to feature fully printed upper levels. Aside from the earlier Kamp C prototype in Belgium, most other companies, such as Icon with its Mueller homes, typically rely on hybrid construction. By eliminating the timber addition and printing both floors, Contec streamlined the process and accelerated the build considerably.
The printing itself was handled by a large robotic system from the Netherlands-based CyBe, which extruded a cement-like mixture in stacked layers to form the shell of the house. While this 18-hour printing process grabbed headlines, finishing the project into a livable home still required several months of conventional work adding the roof, wiring, flooring, and interior finishes. In total, the complete build took around five months.
Contec highlighted the advantages of its custom concrete mix, noting: “Contec’s specialized concrete mix prints walls layer by layer, without the need for formwork or scaffolding. The mix is self-supporting, sets hard in under three minutes, and reaches 50MPa more than three times the strength of standard bricks (15MPa). The walls are cyclone rated, thermally efficient, termite proof, and both fire and water resistant, making them a strong fit for WA’s metro and regional conditions.”
This combination of speed and strength underscores why 3D-printing technology is gaining traction as a practical alternative to traditional building methods.
Once completed, the residence doesn’t look experimental but rather modern and well-finished. Its design blends the distinctive ribbed texture of 3D-printed walls with smoother finishes. The home includes three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage, and a small balcony, while large windows ensure that daylight fills the interior.
Although Contec has not disclosed the full cost, a company representative confirmed that the prototype came in at 22% cheaper than a comparable masonry home built using conventional methods. That saving, coupled with faster shell construction and robust performance, could make this approach a serious contender for housing in both metropolitan and regional Western Australia.