3D Printing

6-meter tall KamerMaker to 3D print Amsterdam house by year's end

6-meter tall KamerMaker to 3D print Amsterdam house by year's end
DUS Architects' KamerMaker in action
DUS Architects' KamerMaker in action
View 9 Images
DUS Architects' KamerMaker in action
1/9
DUS Architects' KamerMaker in action
Construction as exhibition?
2/9
Construction as exhibition?
DUS Architects' KamerMaker is 6 meters tall
3/9
DUS Architects' KamerMaker is 6 meters tall
1:20 scale test components are printed with an Ultimaker 3D printer
4/9
1:20 scale test components are printed with an Ultimaker 3D printer
The KamerMaker at work
5/9
The KamerMaker at work
Inside DUS Architects' KamerMaker
6/9
Inside DUS Architects' KamerMaker
DUS Architect's vision for a 3D-printed canal house in Amsterdam
7/9
DUS Architect's vision for a 3D-printed canal house in Amsterdam
A top-down view from inside the KamerMaker
8/9
A top-down view from inside the KamerMaker
KamerMaker will print building components, like this rosette window, on site
9/9
KamerMaker will print building components, like this rosette window, on site
View gallery - 9 images

It is surely now but a matter of time before we are reporting on the completion of the first 3D-printed house, or at least something purported to be such a thing. Amsterdam-based DUS Architects is the latest company to show its hand, and has developed its own 3D printer, the 6-meter (20-foot) tall KamerMaker (literally, RoomMaker), with the intention of 3D printing a house before the end of the year.

The intention is that the KamerMaker will print building components on site. The machine can print components, fabricated from polypropylene, up to 2.2 by 2.2 by 3.5 meters (7.2 by 7.2 by 11.5 feet) in size. It's hoped that in future the KamerMaker will be able to print objects from recycled plastic.

DUS Architects has announced that it will commence construction of a 3D-printed canal house in the coming months, with completion before the end of the year. Initially, 1:20 scale components are printed and tested using the open source Ultimaker 3D printer. DUS Architects tells Gizmag that its KamerMaker is in essence a larger Ultimaker, from which 1:1 scale versions of the components will be printed for construction.

In an email to Gizmag, DUS Architects describe 3D printing as "a new craftsmanship," which the company hopes will foster local production without need of mass production. "We believe in the importance of the designing of the public domain, and nowadays that involves both the physical world and the virtual world," the company told Gizmag. "KamerMaker allows for unique, made to measure architecture, at fewer costs, with less resources, less waste material, less building transport etc."

DUS Architects chose a canal house as being a symbol of Amsterdam. The intention is that the first room to be built will be a welcoming room where visitors can come to see 3D printing in action, somewhat merging the concepts of construction and exhibition.

DUS Architects hopes to complete the 3D printed canal house in Amsterdam's Autumn. The company joins Softkill Design and Universe Architecture in its aspirations to 3D print a house. Softkill hopes its ProtoHouse 2.0 will be completed by the third quarter of this year.

Source: DUS Architects

View gallery - 9 images
6 comments
6 comments
Slowburn
I am not sure that a Plastic house is a good idea, but glass and copper might work well.
http://www.gizmag.com/solar-sinter-3d-printer/19046/
Incidentally copper melts about 600 degrees C cooler than quarts allowing you to make the conductor paths integral to the structure of the building.
Brent Eagleson
Well, I understand that this being a new type of technology, but certainly not the first... Enrico Dini has been using his designed/fabricated REAL house printer... in cement for quite sometime.
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20120216-the-man-who-prints-houses-documentary-about-enrico-dini-and-his-heart-and-soul-in-3d-printing-buildings.html
David Rochlin
I assume that they will incorporate some flame retardant chemicals into the polypropylene?
Garrett Ross
I bet this tech will never, never take off. Its far too expensive not to mention the limitations are way to off putting. I really wish we could focus on tech that will actually make it to market. I would like to know the percentage of article about tech on this site that never see the light of day. Just like buildings with trees...
christopher
@Brent - Enrico tried to build a house (and, at the same time, make a movie out of it), but the entire project disintegrated. I don't recall exactly why - I think rubbish quality control was the reason (their "printer" has some guy shoveling & leveling stuff manually, then jets of liquid to selectively solidify bits (and, hopefully, have those bits fuse with the underlying solid bits).
I'm vaguely planning my own full-house-printer, using artificial granite & marble as the material (as disclosed in this expired patent: http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/5280051.html ). It's 16 *times* stronger than concrete. Somewhat tricky to cure though, which is where I'm stuck :-)
L1ma
The technology is best put to use with cement. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfbhdZKPHro