Pouring layers of concrete like rows of toothpaste, an industrial-sized 3D printer this week continued adding a second floor to a Houston home that will be the first multistory printed structure in the United States.
In addition to that achievement, designers Leslie Lok and Sasa Zivkovic, assistant professors of architecture in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP) and co-principals of the HANNAH Design Office, say the two-story, single-family home is demonstrating innovative construction processes that can be scaled up to multifamily and mixed-use developments, helping to address housing shortages.
A COBOD BOD2 3D construction printer builds structural elements of a Houston home that will be the first multistory 3D-printed structure in the United States.
Their first-of-its-kind hybrid design connects structural elements composed of 3D-printed concrete with conventional wood framing representative of most U.S. residential construction. The combination shows how each material can be used where it works best, with minimal waste, to create buildings that are efficient, resilient against increasingly intense weather events and potentially more affordable.
"Our hybrid construction approach creates a building system that is structurally efficient, easily replicable and materially responsive," Lok said. "The project also highlights the exciting design potential of mass-customized architectural components to meet homeowners' needs and to simplify building system integration."
Added Zivkovic: "These design efforts aim to increase the impact, applicability, sustainability and cost-efficiency of 3D printing for future residential and multifamily buildings in the U.S."
