Holcim completes Switzerland’s first 3D-printed building

Using a BOD2 3D construction printer from COBOD, Holcim and PERI printed a 150-square-meter building, Switzerland’s first 3D-printed structure.

The showroom’s distinctive, sophisticated, and contemporary design was printed for Kobelt AG. The walls were printed in three days and reached a height of 6.2 meters. The walls are painted concrete, and wood is used in the minimalist interior design. 60 m3 of a recently created Holcim real concrete mix was utilized in the pavilion’s construction.

Kevin Böhlen, Project Manager at Holcim Switzerland, commented on the completion of the printing: “We printed the showroom in eight printing days with a total of 60 m³ of concrete. There were several challenges, but these learnings will help us improve our workflow for future projects. A special thanks to everyone who helped us and supported us. Also, a big thanks to Kobelt AG for their trust in us to print the first onsite building in Switzerland”.

Henrik Lund-Nielsen, Founder & General Manager of COBOD, commented: “We congratulate Holcim on the development of the new 3D printable real concrete. For long we have been advocating printing with real concrete and not mortars, as the printing with mortars leads to use of more cement, higher CO2 emissions and costs. We need to lower the CO2 footprint of the construction sector, and this we can achieve by 3D printing material efficient design with real concrete, not mortars”.