Danish construction 3D printing company, 3DCP Group, recently unveiled its tiny 3D printed house located in Holstebro, Denmark, designed and manufactured to be as affordable as possible. On only 37 m2, the building includes a bathroom, an open kitchen, a living room and a bedroom. To save space, the bedroom was placed on a mezzanine above the bathroom. In keeping with Nordic building traditions, wood characterizes the interior.

The house is shaped like a triangular circle connected by an open central core. At each end of the triangle, you find the kitchen, the living room and the bathroom. To accommodate the bedroom above the bathroom, the roof above the end of the triangle with the bathroom and bedroom was levitated.

Architect Sebastian Aristotelis of Saga Space Architects who designed the 3D printed tiny house said: “Our task was to create a small student housing unit, which should contain all the rooms and features of a normal house, but be so inexpensive, that even students could afford to live in it. We solved the task by creating a design that makes very efficient use of every square meter while giving the inhabitants the feeling of being in a house much larger by having a large open space in the middle.

The 3DCP group decided to use COBOD’s BOD2 3D construction printer for execution. Not only can the printer create unusual shapes, but it can also print with real concrete for a low cost and help make the roof and foundation.

Mikkel Brich, CEO of 3DCP Group, explains: “3D printing technology is truly a game-changer in construction as it brings new architecture to life that would not otherwise have been possible with conventional brick-and-mortar methods. COBOD’s innovative construction 3D printing technology allows printing with real concrete, increasing efficiency and dramatically reducing labor hours used in construction. We couldn’t have done the design using any other method.

According to Mikkel Brich, studies have shown that 3D printing uses 70% less concrete compared to the construction of concrete elements and that CO2 emissions from construction sites can be reduced by up to 32% during the use of 3D printing. By automating processes and building with construction robots, it is also possible to reduce working hours in the construction process by up to 50%.

The design of the house called for the roof to be made up of 5 parts, each of which had a rather unique shape. Sourcing such a roof from a prefabrication factory would be practically impossible, and making it with formwork equipment was considered very expensive. Therefore, the 3DCP group used an innovative new method to make the roof, where the printer made as much of the roof as possible by letting it print the first part of the roof on the ground, after which the roof parts were lifted in place on the build then sink together, as can be seen in the video at the top of this page.

Commenting on the successful construction of the 3D printed tiny house, Henrik Lund-Nielsen, Founder and Managing Director of COBOD International said, “We are proud to have developed the technology for this project. The 3DCP group has proven that the technology can not only make the walls, but can also help make the foundations and the roof. Manufacturing unusually shaped roofs using our technology without the need for formwork equipment is a new cost-effective method for the construction industry globally.

Photo credits: 3DCP & Saga Space Architects. Video credit: COBOD