A two-story building will be constructed in the United States using 3D-printed structures. Construction has already begun.

Located in Houston, the 371-square-meter house will soon be one of the largest and tallest printed buildings in the world, demonstrating the possibilities of 3D printing technology for rapid expansion and mass customization in construction.

The project comes from a two-year collaboration between Ithaca-based experimental design firm and research studio HANNAH, international 3D building printing provider PERI 3D, and leading Houston engineering services and general contractor CIVE.

A hybrid construction approach was used in the design, combining printed concrete modules with a wooden frame, making it one of the first 3D printed works to use wood and concrete in an integrated manner.

The project was spearheaded by Leslie Lok and Sasa Zivkovic, and its goal was to develop a 3D printed building system that is scalable and applicable to many areas

Considering the additional structural challenges when printing beyond the single-story limit, the future widespread use of 3D printing for family housing will not be easy, necessitating the development of designs based on materials and construction processes.

Every aspect of this project, from the overall spatial configuration to the scale architectural details, such as the way we built the shelves and openings, was influenced by the unique manufacturing logic of 3D printed concrete.

With CIVE's structural engineering expertise and PERI 3D's specialized printing knowledge, it was possible to develop a method for 3D printing the two-story building.

HANNAH's main area of activity is Europe, where she has also built several 3D printed multi-story projects abroad.

Their designs stand out because they are adapted to the American wood construction culture.

While the use of precast concrete elements for floors and ceilings has been typical in Europe, and the integration of wood framing in 3D printed buildings has been limited to date, wood framing as a building technique is much more common in North America.

In this regard, HANNAH sought to create a design that could be more easily applied to the U.S. market, and the end result is a house with both wood and concrete textures, a strategy that combines the best aspects of both materials.

The unique aspect of the modular design is that the printed concrete and wood frame work hand in hand and we use them in the best places to perform. 3D printing doesn't mean you can print concrete anywhere, but where it makes sense.

This project goes some way to demonstrating the usefulness of 3D printing for the future of the construction industry.

The modular 3D printer, the COBOD bo D2 gantry printer, can be installed in just one day and can run 24/7.

While a few people are still needed to manage the machine on site, the printer can do almost all of the heavy lifting.

The PERI 3D printing team worked with engineers from Quikrete, a manufacturer of filled concrete, to improve the printability of a new generation of printing mixtures at a specific location in Houston. Earlier this summer, the team entered various print parameters on site for test prints.

Designing the 3D-printed house was another demanding part of the project because, unlike a typical building contractor, the 3D printer does not read building plans, but rather code to run them.

HANNAH's architects used special software to manually design the path the printer would use to pour continuous lines of concrete for the new house, a meticulous process known as toolpathing that also included structural and aesthetic considerations and did not allow for any errors.

Rather than letting this complex process limit their design, HANNAH used printing the toolpath as an opportunity to push the possibilities of 3D printed structural design.

The reuse of incremental cantilevers in concrete modules as decorative and functional architectural motifs, combined with printing different horizontal layers of concrete, created a bold style about 3D printed architecture and hinted at the opportunity to print a new design language for the project.

More broadly, the project offers a glimpse into a future where 3D printing could become a major force in the construction industry. From alleviating labor shortages to building affordable housing, automated construction could solve a variety of pressing problems.