The first on-site house has been printed in Russia

2017-02-20

The first house printed using mobile 3D printing technology has been built in Stupino town, Moscow region. The Apis Cor and PIK companies have successfully completed the project which was announced in December 2016.

How it was built

In December 2016, the Apis Cor company in cooperation with PIK proceeded to print the building using a mobile 3D printer. Construction took place at the Apis Cor company's test facility in the town of Stupino, on the territory of the Stupino aerated concrete factory. Printing of self-bearing walls, partitions and building envelope were done in less than a day: pure machine time of printing amounted to 24 hours.

After completing the wall structures, the printer was removed from the building with a crane-manipulator.

The area of the printed building is 38 m².

For the first time in the Russian construction practice a house was printed as a whole, rather than assembled from pre-printed panels.

Design of the single-story residential house is rather unusual. This project was selected specifically, as one of the main purposes of this construction is to demonstrate the flexibility of equipment and diversity of available forms. The house can be of any shape, including the familiar square shape, because the additive technology has no restrictions on design of new buildings, except for the laws of physics. It means it's time to talk about the new fantastic potential of architectural solutions.

The house was erected in the coldest time of the year. Winter has added complexity to the project participants, as the use of concrete mixture, that is used as the printing «ink», is only possible at temperatures above 5° C. Although, the equipment itself is able to operate in temperatures down to minus 35° C. The problem was solved by setting up a tent which provided the required temperature.

Soon, using new materials, such as geopolymer, you will be able to print a house at any time of the year.

Who helped

The developer of the unique equipment, Apis Cor, approached the matter of erecting the house throughly and invited five companies as partners, known for their innovative approaches.

PIK companies group

The leading Russian public developer. Included in the list of strategic enterprises of Russian economy.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd

One of the largest manufacturers of high-tech components, telecommunications equipment, household appliances, audio and video equipment. The company changes traditional ideas of TVs, smart phones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, household appliances, medical devices, network systems, semiconductors and LED solutions.

Specially for the demonstration house in Stupino, Samsung Electronics Corporation provided high-tech appliances, including a TV set with the same radius of curvature as a curved wall in the house.

TechnoNICOL Corporation

One of the largest international manufacturers of reliable and efficient building materials. Operating in the market since the year 1992, the company has gained significant experience in the manufacture of roofing materials, hydro-acoustic and thermal insulation, as well as solutions for the transportation and road construction. TechnoNICOL offers the latest products and technologies on market, combining global experience and developments of their own research centers. Cooperation with design institutes and architectural workshops enable the corporation to flexibly and quickly respond to changes in consumer needs.

For this project TechnoNICOL Corporation has developed innovative solutions in the field of insulation of building structures that allows to maximize the benefits of 3D printing and can later become an integral part of the 3D construction. They are notable for technical efficiency and assembly speed, suitability for non-standard architectural designs and high performance. In the future these processes, most likely, will be automated.

Bitex Reibeputz Company

A German company, which, for more than 50 years, has been leading a traditional family business in the field of development, production and marketing of paint and reinforcement materials. For many years the company has accumulated vast professional experience and is a reliable partner for trade construction networks, architects and building companies.

BITEX provided unique finishing materials for the project : mineral decorative plaster Reibeputz — KOROED with high adhesion and vapor permeability and façade paint Egalisationsfarbe, durable and resistant to weather conditions.

«Fabrika Okon» company

Manufacturer of innovative thermo-windows with climate control.

Under cooperation terms provided double-glazed windows for installation in house printed using Apis Cor technology.

Six companies have joined together to implement the project and demonstrate how successful could a symbiosis of high technologies be. All companies participating in the construction of the house in Stupino are open to the technologies of the future and are willing to change people's lives for the better. Project participants agree: the great history of house