University of Windsor 3D printing multi-story student residence

An ambitious new building project has broken ground in Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario: a multi-story student residence constructed using 3D printing. The build, commissioned by the University of Windsor, will be the first of its kind in Canada and will eventually house seven student units (with 25 beds) and serve as a “living laboratory” for engineering students and researchers.

The 3D printed student residences are being built at 1025 California Ave, right by the University of Windsor’s recreation center and sports fields. When complete, the building will serve as a demonstration of the future of sustainable, affordable construction (the residences are aiming to be net-zero). The ambitious project is being led by Dr. Sreekanta Das and his team in the university’s Faculty of Engineering, who are supported by industry partners Printerra Inc., a leader in construction 3D printing in Canada, and Desjardins Ontario Credit Union, which is contributing $250,000 to the build.

The 3D printed residences have also received significant public funding, with a $2-million (CAD) investment from the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.  “This project shows what’s possible when government, academia and industry work together with purpose,” said Dr. J.J. McMurtry, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Windsor. “With support from FedDev Ontario and our incredible partners, we are demonstrating how 3D printing can make homebuilding faster, more affordable and more sustainable.”

Printerra is providing the construction 3D printing technology for the build: the gantry-style BOD 2 from Danish company COBOD. With a 231 m² print area, the machine can print the walls of full-scale buildings directly on-site, minimizing transport and logistics requirements, as well as bringing down labor requirements. “We’re thrilled to be the innovation partner on this visionary project,” said Leigh Newman, CEO of Printerra Inc. “This milestone reflects Printerra’s leadership in advancing additive construction and providing a platform that enables its wider adoption.”

COBOD’s construction 3D printing technology has also been put to work on another student residence in the Danish town of Holstebro. There, 3DCP Group is leading what will become Europe’s largest 3D printed housing project, a student residence consisting of six buildings spanning a total of 1,654 m². Each building will eventually house six student apartments. This student residence project is farther ahead in its development than the University of Windsor project: earlier this month it completed its 3D printing phase and is now in its interior construction phase. In Windsor, construction began early in November, but will have to pause for a number of months over the winter. Watch this space for updates on the 3D printing construction project.