Power2Build finishes largest 3D printed building in Africa
Using D.fab concrete solution from COBOD International and CEMEX, the building was printed 4.5x faster than the first
Power2build has finished its largest 3D printed building with a COBOD BOD2 construction printer, using the D.fab concrete solution from COBOD International and CEMEX, in Angola. The company intends to transform the housing market and is a pioneer aiming to solve the challenge of affordable housing in Angola, with 3D printed buildings.
The house is the second 3D printed residential building in Angola. It is a 140m2 house – consisting of a suite, two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a dining room, and a living room. As indicated by the three bathrooms – the house is not a social housing project, but rather a showcase of the design and architectural possibilities of 3D printed buildings.
Power2build is working with COBOD’s 3D printing technology in an attempt to significantly reduce the housing shortage in Angola. The 3D printing technology allows for the construction of affordable, and high-quality, housing in the region – faster and more competitively.
Power2Build also printed Angola’s first 3D printed building – which was a 53m2 house. This house marked the beginning of a revolution, as it was the world’s first 3D printed house using real concrete (defined by particle size above 8mm).
While Power2Build’s first house was printed in 48 hours, the second 140m2 house was printed in just 30 hours – a 4,5x improvement in productivity. In addition to this, the team was able to both do the printing, and the water and electrical installations at the same time.
“We are very proud of our progress; people were questioning if we couldn’t print bigger. We have now printed a 2,6 times bigger house and in about 2/3 of the time compared to the first house. We improved the speed of execution remarkably, but still believe there is room for improvement. In the future, we will only become better at mastering this technology. We are getting more efficient by the day and closer to achieving our vision to deliver better housing at affordable prices to Angolan families,” said Ricardo Almeida, CEO of Power2Build.
The 3D printed house was done using the D.fab material solution – a ground-breaking additive mix developed by COBOD and CEMEX, that enables printing with real concrete and cost savings of up to 90% compared to printing with mortars. D.fab allows for the usage of 99% locally available materials and only 1% Magic Mix, supplied by COBOD. 3D printing with real concrete is a new direction for the 3D construction printing industry and serves as a gateway to properly commercializing the technology.
“We are proud to have made the technology for this project. Power2Build has increased its speed of execution tremendously compared to their first and, now, second project. This is a great example of how we and our customers are continuously improving the technology and can build faster, better, and cheaper as our customers and partners become experts at mastering the 3D printing technology,” said Henrik Lund-Nielsen, Founder and General Manager of COBOD International.
COBOD International so far has six 3D printed buildings in Africa, all printed with COBOD technology. The company was the first (and only) company to print in Malawi, Madagascar, Kenya, and Angola – two of which are schools, and four of which are residential. Later this year COBOD’s customer 14trees will begin printing multiple new houses in Kilifi, Kenya.
