A group of engineers, contractors, and architects have joined forces in the Netherlands to construct one of the world’s first 3D-printed housing projects. The project, called Project Milestone, is located in the city of Eindhoven and will use a large 3D printer to compose five concrete homes near the city’s airport. NBC’s Ella Koscher reports the plans for the first home include three bedrooms, about 1,000 square feet, and are expected to be completed by mid-2019.
The effort is being undertaken in the midst of a shortage of bricklayers in the Netherlands, Rudy van Gurp, a project manager at Van Wijnen, the construction firm that's overseeing the project, told CNN. But the main goal will be to show how 3D printing can cut costs and concrete waste (and thus curb the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of cement, concrete's main ingredient.)
Renderings of the planned homes show futuristic-looking structures with curvilinear shapes and rectangular windows and doors. The designs are intended to show off the printer’s versatility, including the ability to create unusual shapes that are hard to make with conventional construction methods, van Gurp said.
Read More
