In photo above: The final 3D rendering of the house at Kamp C made by project partners C3PO.
Back in 2017, Carlos Moedas, the then EU Comissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, mentionned in his Web Summit intervention the huge turn in Architecture and Civil Engineering, through the use of 3D printing in order to construct houses that could reach the price of less than...10 euro. A true momentum in the home architecture and design history.
Kamp C, the Westerlo-based provincial Centre for Sustainability and Innovation in Construction, printed a house using the largest 3D concrete printer in Europe. The 90-square metre dwelling was printed in one piece with a fixed printer. This is a world first.
The center wants to inspire and activate local authorities, construction companies, and citizens to make the transition to a more sustainable society. Kamp C does this by giving neutral and independent advice in terms of sustainability and innovation, and by involving local government and the construction industry in innovative projects.
The two-storey house is eight metres tall and has a floor area of 90 square metres, the average size of a terraced house in this region.
“What makes this house so unique, is that we printed it with a fixed 3D concrete printer”, says Emiel Ascione, one of the project managers: “Other houses that were printed around the world only have one floor. In many cases, the components were printed in a factory and were assembled on-site. We, however, printed the entire building envelope in one piece on-site.”
The house was printed as part of the European C3PO with financing from ERDF (the European Regional Development Fund). With this feature, the project partners hope to raise interest in the building industry about the use of 3D concrete printing as a building technique. As part of the European C3PO project, which aims to accelerate the transition to this innovative technology in Flanders- this ambitious endeavour engaged eight partners, both from the business community and the scientific community- who joined forces: Beneens, ETIB/CONCRETE HOUSE, Groep Van Roey, Thomas More, Trias architecten, Ghent University and Vicre. Saint-Gobain Weber is also contributing to the project.
Marijke Aerts, Project Manager at Kamp C, kindly gave us some insights about this incredible initiative, the beginning of a new era for public architecture in the EU and beyond:
All4design-Design4all: How do you thing that the rise of 3D-printing for residential units and the significant drop of cost due to this process, will affect the following years the existing mortgage banking sector and the traditional building craftsmanship?
Marijke Aerts: The first years, 3D-conrete printing needs to search for the right and most interesting market. Therefore some innovative entrepreneurs need to take the lead in this technology. In the beginning, this technology will be for an exclusive segment of the building market. It needs to scale up largely before the existing mortgage banking sector will move. Hopefully the banking sector will be innovative as well so this technology can grow easier then the very classic building sector.
About the craftsmanship, we are not worried. There will always be a need.
This technology cannot replace all the craftsmanship. It can make it easier and quicker but it cannot replace it all. But maybe, the work of craftsmen can be lifted to another level. Not the classical craftsmen will be needed but rather the specialized ones.
You shouldn’t use new technology to repeat the old way of working, to solve the old problems. New technologies resolve issues in a new way of working, new possibilities and therefore a new type of craftsmen will be needed, more in line with the time we currently live in.
A4D-D4A: The ideas of sustainability, recyclability and biodegradable resources are deeply routed in 3-D printing. Can we talk yet for plastic materials used in 3D printers of large scale projects, made of recycled marine plastics and/or debris?
M.A.: The printer we tested at Kamp C, was fed with concrete but we think the possibilities for plastic will be very close. If you can scale up a small plastic printer to a concrete printer, it should be possible to fed it with recycled plastics in the very near future. Then a new CIRCULAR printer is born and can help us to close the environmental loops.
There is already a lot happening within the plastic-printing business. Plastic is one of the most recyclable products when kept clean of other materials. So we have more process problems than techniqual problems. Also with the concrete we are researching possibilities to make the material more sustainable and reusable afterwards.
A4D-D4A: Which principles of modernist architecture you incorporated in the 3D printing process at the final plans of the Kamp C house prototype?
M.A.: In fact, our design for the house was a combination of a very classic straight house with gentle curves and overhanging walls. Our purpose was to show the conservative construction sector that the buildings they build now, can also be printed. So we tried to make it not too farfetched from their experiences nowadays.
In the future, hopefully, more organic designs will be discovered so the printer can show its best performance. The form freedom of 3D printing is the most important feature of it all!
A4D-D4A: Which other groundbreaking 3D printing technology applications in the likes of the Kamp C housing project, should we expect in the near future?
M.A.: One of our partners, Van Roey Nv, has already started to applicate the 3D-concrete printing. In Deurne, near to Antwerp, they are building a whole new sports-infrastructure. In the swimming pool, they make use of 3D printed walls as a structure for the organic water slides.
During our process of the building of the house, we also did a design contest among students and designers. Some interesting designs were made and in the near future, we will try to print them as a statement of form freedom. On the 8th of September, we will announce our winning designs. But within the thousands of reactions on our press release, there were a lot of people asking us to print their house or companies asking us to upscale this in other countries. So even within the topic of printing houses, we can expect new designs and pilots.
A4D-D4A: Do you think that 3-D printing modules (software, tools, engineering) should be included in the core of the academic curriculum inside design schools and universities from now on?( Just as Coding is starting to become a basic module in History of Art/ Museology in many universities in Europe?).
M.A.: Yes of course, we think that is very necessary! In this first printing project, we involved already the Thomas More University of Geel. It were in fact students who learned to work with the printer and managed to print the house. Also in our subsequent project, called KIEM, the commitment of the school is our priority. The new students are already involved in the following process.
Our thanks and warm regards to Marijke Aerts for her availability and enlightening answers. Please visit the Kamp C official site for more exclusive info about the planning and the innovations currently undergoing at the centre.
All the best
A4D-D4A🙌
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