Published on 03 October 2018

Permit for commercial 3D concrete printed building

On 3 October 2018, an ‘all-in-one permit’ was issued for Europe’s first commercial 3D printed building. The 100-square-metre building will be called ‘De Vergaderfabriek’ (‘The Meeting Factory’), and will be printed in the Dutch town of Teuge in the course of this year. Research has shown that this is the first building in Europe to be constructed on-site by means of 3D printing on the basis of a commercial contract.

Clients Arvid Prigge of Centre4Moods and Marjo Prigge – Van der Linden of Hotel De Slaapfabriek talk about the project. “We recognized that it was time for a unique meeting concept that allows us to offer unforgettable experiences to individual guests, groups and teams. The building’s circular shape, the use of sustainable materials and the technology installed in the interior could never have been achieved with traditional construction methods. Hence our decision to apply 3D printing.”

From all-in-one permit to construction
Now that the all-in-one permit has been granted, construction work can start. CyBe has taken on the role of main contractor. Europe’s first on-site commercial 3D concrete printing project will soon be part of the site of Centre4Moods and Hotel De Slaapfabriek. In De Vergaderfabriek, Arvid and Marjo Prigge want to continue their exploration of innovative, scalable formats for meetings, training courses and experiences. Together with consultancy firm Revelating, they put together a team of companies that they regard as leaders in the Dutch 3D printing and construction industry: The Form Foundation, Witteveen+Bos, CyBe, Elma Media and law firm Lexence. As a team they have taken on the challenges of this project and have developed the innovative solutions that make this project possible. The challenges lie in the construction method, the design, organizational and legal issues, and the underlying risks. Project leader Hugo Jager: “It was a process of experimenting, analysing and adapting, but always with a clear goal in mind: proving that 3D printing makes technical and economic sense.”

From idea to 3D printed building
The design by architect Pim van Wylick transforms the wishes and requirements of Centre4Moods into a unique building. Centre4Moods uses 360-degree projection technology to immerse visitors in a sensory experience. For this purpose, the architect has taken a circular space as his starting point, with various facilities arranged around the space. The building is located next to the entrance to Teuge Airport. This airport has a long history, that has left its mark on the surroundings. The building is located at the corner of the site and slowly ‘opens up’ in the direction of the airport entrance and a view of the fields on the other side of the road. This sequence of open and closed views based on a circular space has resulted in a building that appears like the blades of a turbine. The blades rotate and open or close views, depending on the position of the observer. This gives the building a different appearance from every angle. It is virtually impossible to realise such a design using traditional construction methods. The solution was found in a design with 3D printed concrete curved walls, each with a different shape.

For more information, visit the project website at www.3dprintedbuilding.eu.

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