‘First 3D-printed house ready in three years’
Eight innovative powerhouses have partnered to promote 3D printing in the construction industry in Flanders
Cheaper, more efficient and cleaner
The joint project is being carried out by the Kamp C innovation centre in Westerlo, the support centre for sustainable building and living in Antwerp province. The province, the Flemish government and the European Union have invested about €1.6 million in the project.
The budget will be invested in new 3D-printing infrastructure, to be installed at Kamp C. The building sector will be able to use the printer to experiment and make prototypes and it will be available to enterprises and the public when the project comes to an end.
The partner organisations will experiment with materials and printing techniques and will use their experience for specific building projects. According to Peter-Paul van den Berg, director of Kamp C (pictured, centre), it should be possible to set up a fully 3D-printed house in Westerlo in three years.
Geert Verachtert, director of strategy and business development at building company Van Roey, one of the partners, believes 3D printing will make construction more affordable. “3D printing can save costs when it comes to materials, energy consumption and waste,” he told Gazet van Antwerpen.
The partners in the project are Kamp C, Ghent University, Thomas More University College, Van Roey, Beneens, Trias Architecten, Etib/Concrete House and ViCre.
Photo courtesy Kamp C/Twitter
