Construction on Europe's largest 3D-printed building completed

Construction has been completed on the Wave House data center, Europe’s largest 3D-printed building. Located in Heidelberg, Germany, the facility was printed using around 450 tons of printing concrete from Heidelberg Materials. The concrete is 100 percent recyclable and contains a binder. It can reportedly achieve a 55 percent CO2 reduction rate compared to pure Portland cement. Partners on the project include Peri 3D, which is part of the scaffolding firm Peri Group, as well as architecture firms Mense-Korte and SSV. Work on the facility began last year using a BOD2 3D construction printer. Since construction on the shell is complete, Heidelberg iT will now build out the white space and electrical room.

Design details

The data center will offer 500kW and have capacity for around 100 racks. The fit-out is expected to be complete towards the end of the summer. The IT firm has a long-term lease on the site. Furthermore, the building’s measurements – spanning 600 m2 (approximately 6.600 SF), with dimensions of 54m in length, 11m in width, and 9m in height – were achieved with the walls printed in 140 hours.

The team behind Europe’s largest 3D-printed building

The architects SSV and Mense Korte faced a challenge in the Heidelberg project by designing walls with a wave-like shape. Cobod, a privately owned by General Electric, with CEMEX, Holcim, and Peri as key shareholders, manufactured the BOD2 construction printers. The actual printing took around 140 hours, equivalent to printing four square meters of building per hour. Peri highlighted that conventional construction methods could not have been used to achieve this design. Thus, 3D construction printing technology was utilized because of its design freedom.

Dr. Fabian Meyer-Brötz, the managing director of PERI 3D Construction, commented on the project, “We are very proud to have realized our largest building to date with this project. “Not only because of the size of it, but in particular due to the special shape and the parametric design used, which documents the immense design freedom of COBOD’s technology.”

World’s largest 3D-printed structure

Not too far off from Germany, the world’s largest 3D-printed structure has been planned in Switzerland. Intended to attract tourists to the tiny village of Mulegns. The five storey, 30 meter tall structure is named the Tor Alva. Further, it has been designed with a lacelike white concrete that appears to weave gracefully into the sky. Nova Fundaziun Origen is the organization behind the structure that is located in the town with a population of 16 people.

To inspire visitors to spend the night too, the tower will function as a cultural venue and multifunctional space, with a calendar of performances, installations, music, and theatre. Additionally, a coiling series of columns, each uniquely “printed” with their own pattern, will lead visitors to a penthouse chamber for up to 45 people where concerts can be held. The 3D-printing process began in February and is expected to take around 900 hours, it is expected to be completed by July this year.