Article

Perfecting 3D-printed homes

3D printing a new house is already faster and less wasteful than traditional construction methods. Now, a University of Windsor lab will incorporate recycled and natural materials like clay to further reduce the environmental impact.
Institution(s)
University of Windsor
Province(s)
Ontario
The cement walls of a partially built building viewed from the side.

The concrete walls of this multiplex in Leamington, Ont., were 3D-printed onsite in a Canadian first. Researchers at the University of Windsor’s Structural Engineering Testing Lab contributed with real-time testing of materials during construction.

Research lab helps make 3D-printed homes a reality

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30 to 40%
Savings in time to build a 3D-printed home versus wood-framed construction
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60%
Reduction in construction waste when homes are 3D-printed   
A robot arm suspended over three short cement walls.

 

The robotic arm of a 3D printer prints concrete walls in the University of Windsor’s Structural Engineering Testing Lab, soon to be home to a similar robot, funded by the CFI, which researchers will use to develop alternative types of cement for 3D printing building components. They will incorporate clay, recycled glass and industrial waste, among other things, to reduce the environmental footprint of housing and increase its capacity for carbon sequestration.

A steel beam is pressed onto the top of a 3D-printed wall in a large lab space.

The University of Windsor’s Structural Engineering Testing Lab is one of the largest in Canada for full-scale testing of building structures. Here, a hydraulic loading jack is applied to the top of a three-metre-tall, 3D-printed cement wall to test its load-bearing capacity. A new CFI-funded robot for printing cement-like materials will soon expand the lab’s capabilities, helping create the ideal setting to train students, construction workers and others how to work with these new building techniques, helping fill the industry’s skilled labour shortage.

Three different configurations of 3D-printed walls, ready for testing. The optimal design will be lightweight, as well as structurally sound and thermally insulated to minimize heat loss during cold Canadian winters.
Top view of three short, hollow 3D-printed walls.
Top view of the cement walls of a fourplex with construction workers in foreground.

This fourplex in Leamington, Ont., was printed onsite, the first of its kind in Canada. Compared to wood-framed constructions, 3D-printed homes are 30 to 40 percent faster to build and save around 60 percent of construction waste. They’re also more resistant to extreme weather, fire and mould, so they last longer.

The research project featured in this story also benefits from funding from Mitacs and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.  

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