3D Printing Accelerates Social Housing Construction in Ireland by 35%

Some of construction 3D printing’s greatest benefits include that the technology can often build structures faster and cheaper than traditional building methods. That said, it is logical to adopt the technology for social housing. In Grange Close, Ireland, the company HTl.tech built properties for a social housing project using the COBOD BOD2 3D construction printer. Not only did this project vastly reduce construction time, but it was also carried out in full compliance with the international standard ISO/ASTM 52939:2023, meaning they are perfectly habitable. On February 6th, the scheme will be launched, and the three families allocated the houses will be present along with the Louth County Council.

This is the first project in Europe for social housing that meets the new I.S. EN ISO/ASTM 52939:2023 additive manufacturing standard. Social housing properties are intended for the middle class, so people who exceed the economic requirements for obtaining public housing, but do not have enough economic power to access a mortgage. Therefore, it was necessary to quickly create housing solutions that did not require a large financial outlay. For this reason, the company HTl.tech developed this project.

An aerial view of the new social housing project in Grange Close, Ireland

The Social Housing Project

This new building project resulted in the construction of townhouses, covering a total area of 330 m². The buildings were divided into three units, each comprising three apartments of 110 m² each. A load-bearing wall system was designed for these houses, designed to meet Eurocode 6 standards and created through 3D printing. Each wall consists of two 10-cm thick walls, having a 150-mm cavity, extruded in load-bearing concrete. This eliminated the need to serve steel supports or columns. For the structure, 90 m³ of concrete conforming to EN206 C30/37 was used, providing adequate compressive strength to ensure durability and strength.