A 500-sq-m public recycling centre office in Porto has been printed under budget by a four-person crew over nine days by Portuguese construction company Havelar using a Bod 2 construction 3D printer from Cobod.
The curvy building was printed directly from a digital model, avoiding the cost of using conventional concrete formwork.
“In construction terms, it is a third: a third of the time, a third of the materials, and a third of the people,” said Havelar founder José Maria Ferreira.
Bárbara Rangel, engineering researcher at the University of Porto, said: “With 3D construction printing, trades can work in parallel; there is no waiting for walls or slabs to dry before the electrician, tiler or carpenter comes in.”
So far, Havelar has printed 32 housing units in Porto. It plans to print 53 more this year.
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