House Made of 3D-Printed Concrete Goes Up in Arizona

A print nozzle sweeps back and forth around a small plot in Tempe, Ariz., and the walls of a single-family home begin to take shape. Two technicians keep an eye on the gantry-mounted 3D concrete printer and a small group of Habitat for Humanity volunteers are on hand to pitch in as needed, but the nozzle just goes, building the home layer by layer. After the walls are printed, construction of the house will be completed by traditional means and the home will eventually go to a family selected by Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. 

“Normally, Habitat would have 20 or so volunteers out framing a house, now we have a few volunteers who help us clean the site in the morning,” says Samuel Hager, application engineer with PERI USA and project lead for the Tempe 3D-printed home. “Once the printer is up and running, they just sit in the shade and watch it print.”

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