German Innovation Award goes to first 3D-printed house

• The first ever 3D-printed house in Germany wins in the “Building & Elements” category

• HeidelbergCement supplies the building material for the 3D-printing  

The first residential house in Germany to be built with a 3D concrete printer has won the German Innovation Award from the German Design Council. The two-storey single-family home in Beckum, North Rhine-Westphalia, with around 160 m² of living space consists of multi-layered walls filled with insulating material or ready-mixed concrete.

After the innovative property had been designed by the engineers and architects at Mense-Korte ingenieure+architekten, the printing was carried out with a PERI concrete printer installed at the construction site. The printing material used was “i.tech 3D” printing mortar from HeidelbergCement. The project was supervised by experts from the Technical University of Munich and engineers from Schießl Gehlen Sodeikat. “With this production process, houses can be built faster, more economically and more sustainably. It also allows a highly individual design of living spaces,”  stated the jury. With the award, the German Design Council recognises projects that advance their industry through originality, application and effectiveness.

Dr Jennifer Scheydt, Head of Engineering & Innovation at HeidelbergCement Germany, said: “The printing of the residential house in Beckum is a milestone for 3D concrete printing technology. As a strong and innovative partner in this project, we have helped to adapt the traditional building material concrete to the possibilities offered by 3D printing, namely application areas of all sizes and shapes. We are convinced that this new type of construction will become an established standard in the years to come.” 

The German Innovation Award recognises cross-sector products and solutions that stand out from previous ideas by focusing on users and creating added value. The jury for the German Innovation Award is made up of independent, interdisciplinary experts from industry, science, institutions and the financial sector. The submissions are evaluated according to the criteria of innovation level, user benefits and cost-effectiveness. The innovation strategy should consider aspects such as social, ecological, and economic sustainability as well as the use of energy and resources. Factors such as location and employment potential, durability, market maturity, technical quality and function, materiality, and synergy effects also play a decisive role in the evaluation process.

About HeidelbergCement

HeidelbergCement is one of the world’s largest integrated manufacturers of building materials and solutions, with leading market positions in aggregates, cement, and ready-mixed concrete. Around 53,000 employees at more than 3,000 locations in over 50 countries deliver long-term financial performance through operational excellence and openness for change. At the center of actions lies the responsibility for the environment. As forerunner on the path to carbon neutrality, HeidelbergCement crafts material solutions for the future. 

Images

Germany's first 3D-printed house has received the "German Innovation Award Winner" in the “Building & Elements” category.

Copyright: German Design Council Medien GmbH

This is what the first 3D-printed residential building will look like when it is finished.
Copyright: MENSE-KORTE ingenieure+architekten

The current construction progress of the first 3D-printed residential building in Beckum in May 2021. 
Copyright: MENSE-KORTE ingenieure + architekten

With 3D concrete printing, houses can be built faster, more economically and sustainably. 
Copyright: HeidelbergCement AG/Michael Rasche