A project in the Netherlands is planning to build five 3D-printed houses, with the first expected to be completed early next year. The project takes advantage of 3D printing flexibility and the availability of the technology.

The use of 3D printing technology to build houses has many advantages over traditional Construction methods, such as the speed of execution, the little waste generated, and safety on site.

Additive manufacturing also allows for more freedom design-wise, regardless of the material used for construction.

There are even mobile 3D printers and robots capable of building large structures, like MIT’s Digital Construction Platform, and Construction Robotics’ brick-laying bot.

Read More: How to 3D Print an Entire Building With Robots

Construction projects making use of 3D printing technology vary in their scope. Some are striving to provide decent and affordable shelter to those in need while others are attempting to fulfill an architectural and artistic vision.

For some professionals, concrete is a material of choice for 3D Printed Houses because it’s strong, malleable, and durable.

Like other projects, concrete was the material chosen for a 3D housing project in the city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

Read More: How Detroit’s Tiny Houses Help Homelessness

3D Printed Houses From Project Milestone

Project Milestone is “the world’s first commercial housing project based on 3D-concrete printing,” which is aiming to make five 3D-printed houses in the next few years.

Several parties are collaborating to bring the Project Milestone to fruition:

The Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), engineering and consulting agency Witteveen + Bos, real estate company Vesteda, construction company Van Wijnen, and Saint Gobain Weber Beamix are all working together to make the project a reality.

Located in the Meerhoven district of Eindhoven, the first house will serve as a proof-of-concept for Project Milestone that in itself will be, well, a milestone for 3D concrete printing.

The first single-floor house of three-rooms is expected to welcome its new tenants sometime next year with the other four multi-story houses to follow later on.

At the time of writing this article, we couldn’t find any information regarding the construction cost of these houses or how much future occupants would expect for renting, although this information will likely be released over the coming months.

Here is a CG visualization of the houses that gives you an idea of how these five houses and the neighborhood will look like:

It’s likely that 3D printed houses will not become a reality overnight, but projects like these show other engineers and architects that the technology is there to use, all that is needed is the investment.

Do you think 3D printed houses will ever take over conventional construction methods?

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