Holcim is building a 3D-printed settlement
Holcim announces the construction of a housing estate made of 3D-printed houses in Kenya. The 52-building project is the largest of its kind in Africa. It aims to accelerate the breakthrough of 3D printing for affordable living space.
Notice: Undefined variable: excludeTagsCountForSimpleParser in /home/immoinve/public_html/immoinvest.cyon.site/dev/wp-content/plugins/TooltipProPlus/glossaryFree.php on line 1771
With its joint venture 14Trees and the British development finance institute CDC Group , Holcim wants to realize the largest 3D-printed house complex in Africa. In Kilifi, Kenya, the Mvule Gardens development is to create affordable living space in 52 buildings. The building material manufacturer has now announced this. The project is part of the regenerative ecosystem Green Heart of Kenya , a model for inclusive and climate-resilient cities. Construction will start in early 2022.
The project builds on Holcim's first 3D printed school in Malawi. It is intended to close an acute infrastructure gap. "14Trees is pioneering the use of cutting-edge technology to address one of Africa's most pressing development needs – affordable housing – and create life-changing infrastructure for entire communities," said Tenbite Ermias, CEO of CDC Africa, as quoted in the press release.
14Trees has set itself the goal of addressing the lack of affordable housing in Africa with 3D printing and intelligent design, while creating skilled local jobs at the same time. As demonstrated in Malawi, the technology can reduce a house's ecological footprint by more than 50 percent compared to conventional methods, according to Holcim. Accordingly, they have the EDGE certificate for resource- efficient buildings.
The MASS Design Group , an architecture firm based in the USA and Africa, designed the Mvule Gardens. They are designed to create affordable, sustainable and reproducible housing units that are adapted to the Kenyan environment.
