A video has been released showing how a 3D robot printer created a five room affordable dwelling in Nantes, western France.
The 95 sq m house was shown to the public last weekend and it will now be fitted out, with tenants expected to take up residence in June.
The project team was led by French contractor Bouygues and the University of Nantes. Benoit Furet, a professor at the university, said it was the first house built in situ for human habitation using 3D printing techniques.
The process works by first creating the foundations and the ground floor, then setting up the laser-guided BatiPrint3D robot to extrude two "walls" of polyurethane foam, which then hardens to provide the formwork for a layer of concrete. The robot completed its part of the job in 18 days.
One of the advantages of this system is that it can as easily create curved forms as rectilinear ones, thereby removing the usual restrictions on housing forms. It will be fitted with sensors that monitor air quality, humidity and temperature, as well as equipment to evaluate the building’s thermal properties.
The client for the scheme was Nantes Métropole Habitat. Nantes plans further 3D-printed building projects, including a public reception building and a housing estate.
Image: The completed design has a y-shaped floorplan (Bouygues)
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