Social Housing Successfully 3D Printed in the Colombian Mountains

We know that construction 3D printing is useful for reducing labor costs and achieving unique geometries, but what about for construction in remote areas? The company Cementos Argos just finished printing South America’s first additively-manufactured social housing in La Unión, in Colombia’s western Antioquia department. The team used COBOD’s Bod2 printer on behalf of non-profit Fundación Berta Martínez. The group had to transport the printer and materials in mountainous terrain and heavy rains. So, what are these homes like, and how was the project pulled off?

Cementos Argos constructed two single-story houses, each with a 63-sq-m floorpan. The houses have two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry area, and porch. Their walls are 2.2m-high, supporting a timber roof. Remarkably, these homes were printed in just 16 hours over the course of three days, directly on site. According to COBOD, the process is 30% faster than traditional building techniques, with 15–30% less waste and 20% lower material costs.

COBOD’s Bod2 3D printer in operation in Colombia

A Special Mortar Mixture

Adding to the project’s overall sustainability, Cementos Argos used a custom mortar mixture which contained 99% locally-sourced raw materials. The walls’ compressive strength exceeds 35 MPa (5,076 psi), and to comply with the local seismic resistance standards, the structural design had to be approved by a Municipal Planning Office.