Holcim completes first part of 3D-printed settlement
14Trees has produced the first ten of 52 planned 3D-printed residential buildings in Kenya. 14Trees is a joint venture between Holcim and British International Investment. As the first housing project from the printer, this bears the World Bank's EDGE certificate for sustainable design.
Holcim has announced the successful completion of the largest 3D-printed affordable housing complex to date. For this, 14Trees, a joint venture between Holcim and British International Investment, has printed the first ten housing units in Kenya, according to a media release. A total of 52 affordable buildings are planned in the gated community called Mvule Gardens near the town of Kilifi. Each new phase of construction will test further innovations, according to Holcim. The project is part of the Green Heart of Kenya regenerative ecosystem, a model for inclusive and climate-resilient cities.
Building on the world’s first 3D-printed school by 14Trees in Malawi, the Mvula Gardens complex will also help close the country’s infrastructure gap and create affordable, climate-friendly housing on a large scale. In addition, this new technology will create highly skilled jobs: local workers will be trained as 3D machine assistants and specialists.
The 3D printing of these ten housing units was made possible with TectorPrint, Holcim’s innovative 3D printing ink, produced for the first time in Kenya. The sustainability profile of this project was recognised by the International Finance Corporation, the development bank of the World Bank Group, with the EDGE Advanced certificate for sustainable design.
“I am very proud of 14Trees’ work in Africa, where our innovations in 3D printing technology are accelerating affordable and sustainable construction,” Miljan Gutovic, Holcim’s regional director for Europe, is quoted as saying in the statement. “I look forward to 14Trees replicating these successes in Europe and other parts of Africa in the near future.”