Author Archives: sscheffers

Project Milestone to be continued: 4 new 3D concrete printed houses are going up

Further development of technology

The realisation of the first 3D printed house was followed by a lot of background hard work on further development of the printing technology. In recent years, Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix, with a branch at the Hurk business park in Eindhoven, has invested heavily in the development of the overall process in order to achieve a unique industrial and scalable 3D concrete printing process. Partly in cooperation with Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), this process has been developed and optimised in detail in recent years, resulting in continuous delivery of guaranteed quality. This requires less material compared to existing construction methods, thus saving on CO2.


New designs

Two new types of house have been developed that, unlike the first house, consist of several floors. The new houses derive their structural properties entirely from the printed concrete, a globally unique property within 3D printed housing construction. With their organic design – a habitable ‘boulder’ – the new houses are perfectly suited to their woodland settings. Two of each type of house will be located in Bosuil in Eindhoven.

 

Start of sale

Unlike the first house in Project Milestone, the new houses will be offered for sale. Interested parties can visit www.3dprintedhouse.nl where all the information about the 3D printed houses can be found and interested parties can contact us. Sales are scheduled to start after the summer holidays.

 

Realisation

After completion of the sales process, the realisation of the houses will begin in early 2025. Preparations for this are already in full swing. The plan is that the new residents will be able to move into the houses in the summer of 2025.


Working together with innovation

Characteristic of the Milestone project is the cooperation between government, knowledge institutions and the business community. The municipality of Eindhoven is a co-initiator, driver of innovation and facilitator of the project, the TU/e conducted research and developed models to make 3D concrete printing possible, Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix developed the process needed to deliver consistent quality on the production line, Houben / Van Mierlo Architecten designed the houses, Witteveen+Bos is working on the structural and engineering aspects and the construction company Van Wijnen is leading the project and building the houses.

 

Do you want to know more about Project Milestone or the possibilities of 3D concrete printing? Contact us then. 

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Winners Concrete Design Competition 2023-2024 announced

Creative ideas contest

The Concrete Design Competition is a biennial ideas competition for structural, architectural and civil engineering students. “We challenge students to design with concrete, to explore the unique and aesthetic properties of this material within this edition’s theme: PRESENCE. This challenging theme addresses how the material can impart a certain tactile experience to the form of a space or object in the built environment,” said Cindy Vissering of Tektoniek.

Versatile entries

The broad competition yielded a wide variety of design ideas, ranging from façade details and stacked open structures to urban design elements and structural details. “It was a challenge to properly compare the wide variety of entries,” said Pim Peters, chairman of the jury. “But we arrived at a nice selection of winners.” On June 6 at TU Delft, the nominees presented their designs to interested parties, followed by the announcement of the winners.

Winners and prizes

First prize went to Hydrowall, a green façade design with two degrees of porosity in the concrete. Second prize was for Fabric[ated] Strength, in which columns are made of two layers of textile with dry cement concrete hardening in between. Third prize was won by Skycrete, a semi-open roof design for a pavilion with scaled forms. An honorable mention went to the design Playground of the future with playground elements made of 3D-printed concrete.

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First and second prize winners may participate in the International Concrete Design Masterclass, while first, second and third prize winners will also receive a cash prize.


International Masterclass


The Concrete Design Competition is also held in Germany, Belgium, Austria and Ireland. In the Netherlands, the design competition is coordinated from Tektoniek, platform for concrete architecture. The winners from the five countries will come together in the Concrete Design Masterclass, which will take place this year at Saint-Gobain Weber in the Netherlands. At the Training Center, the students will both create designs to be printed on the industrial concrete printer in our 3D concrete printing factory and also create their own concrete objects with textile molds.

 

Do you want to know more about the possibilities of 3D concrete printing? Contact us then. 

Curious about all the benefits?
Download our reference brochure

Do you want to visit one
of our 3D printing projects?

3D-printed concrete now available in colour

Sustainable & colourful

3D concrete printing offers a more sustainable alternative to traditional formwork concrete. Because the 3D printer applies material only where needed, the products are 40-60% more durable. On top of that, 3D concrete printing offers more freedom of form. This is because the object no longer needs to be made from a solid piece of material.

 

And so from now on, these products are also available in various colours. This allows us to personalise our orders even further.

 

Would you like to know more about the possibilities of 3D concrete printing or are you interested in one of our products? Then contact us.

See all colour options

Geel
Yellow
Groen
Green
Bruin
Brown
Antraciet
Anthracite
Rood
Red
Grijs
Grey

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World record: Qatar has tallest 3D printed tower

Challenging schedule

 

The project was complex for several reasons, including the challenging schedule leading up to the expo opening, and because Witteveen+Bos as designer and constructor, and Saint-Gobain Weber Benelux as 3D printing expert and producer, took this record attempt as an opportunity to further innovate the 3D concrete printing technology.

 

The schedule was driven by the expo opening and the logistical challenge of transporting all elements by boat from the Netherlands to Qatar. Through intensive and clever collaboration, they managed to achieve a very short lead time: from the initial design idea to realization and shipping within two months.

 

Futuristic design

 

The design pushes the boundaries of 3D printing technology. The interrupted circular structure and the characteristic 30-degree inclination are eye-catching. To achieve this futuristic design, optimal use was made of the advantages of 3D printing technology. A total of 85 unique building blocks were designed. Each concrete element was individually printed, and material was only printed where necessary for strength. Furthermore, the blocks have a hollow structure.

 

The result is a 3D-printed tower, consisting of ten layers with eight or nine blocks each, creating a structure measuring 13 by 13 meters with a height of 12.4 meters. After assessment, the Qatari tower has been recognized as the Guinness World Record for the ‘tallest freestanding 3D-printed concrete structure.’

 

Marijn Bruurs, 3D concrete print expert at Witteveen+Bos: ‘This record that we achieved together with Qatar is very valuable. Especially because we have been able to apply techniques in practice that can also be used on a broader scale, for example in housing construction.  With the 30-degree inclination and interrupted circle in the design also expand the structural and architectural possibilities of 3D concrete printing.’

 

Peter Paul Cornelissen, Business Unit Manager 3D Printing, Weber Benelux: ‘A project like this is ideally suited to be 3D printed with concrete. This has everything to do with the extremely short lead time, the number of unique shapes, and the structural properties of the material used. To guarantee the structural properties of the individual elements, Weber has developed a unique Quality Framework. This allows the agreed quality to be delivered with short lead times and large volumes, which is essential for any structural construction.’

 

Do you want to know more about the possibilities of 3D concrete printing? Contact us then. 

Curious about all the benefits?
Download our reference brochure

Do you want to visit one
of our 3D printing projects?

Weber develops eco mortar for 3D concrete printing

Because a 3D printer only applies material where necessary, 3D printed products are on average 40 to 60% more sustainable than traditional formwork concrete products. In addition, the new concrete mortar uses considerably less cement in production. This, of course, without compromising Weber’s high quality standards and delivery reliability.

 

Weber 3D eco is the next step for the company to provide sustainable solutions for the construction sector, including popular inclined stairs, circular outdoor furniture, entrance protections, and other custom solutions.

 

“Our continued commitment to innovation and sustainability has led to this remarkable achievement,” says Peter Paul Cornelissen, Business Unit Manager Weber. “With this newly developed mortar composition, we reduce our cement consumption by almost half. In this way, we contribute to a cleaner future for the construction industry and the environment.”

 

Weber continues to be committed to providing innovative solutions that not only meet the needs of today but also contribute to a more sustainable tomorrow. All of this supports Saint-Gobain’s global goal of ‘Making the world a better home.’

 

Would you like to know more about the possibilities of 3D concrete printing? Contact us.

Curious about all the benefits?
Download our reference brochure

Do you want to visit one
of our 3D printing projects?

Online slopestairs configurator for personalized staircase design

The slopestairs configurator allows users to customize various parameters, including the width, length, height, step height and number of platforms of the staircase. This allows customers to create a staircase that perfectly fits their specific needs and environment.

One of the most striking features of the configurator is the ability to visualize the designed staircase model in the real world using augmented reality (AR). You do this by pointing the camera of your smartphone or tablet at the desired location. This way you can virtually place the staircase and instantly see how it would look in their own environment.

 

“With our online slopestairs configurator, we want to simplify the design process for customers while offering a unique and interactive experience,” said Jean Pierre van Dongen, 3D Sales Project Leader Benelux at 3D.Weber. “By using advanced technologies such as AR, we aim to make it easier for our customers to visualize and realize their ideal staircase.”

The slopestairs configurator is now available on our website and is free to use for anyone looking for a customized staircase solution. With this innovative tool, we take another step forward in providing high-quality and customer-oriented building solutions.

Curious about the possibilities? Click here and start your design now with our configurator. Or request our slopestairs brochure for more information.

Curious about all the benefits?
Download our infopaper 3D-printed slope stairs

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Three major pillars in 3D concrete printing: Sustainability, construction automation and freedom of form

3D concrete printing. A relatively new technique with great potential for the future of construction. “Especially with the climate crisis, the large replacement and renovation task and the labor shortage we are facing,” says Pieter Bakker, 3D printing project leader at Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix.

 

“We are therefore constantly looking for opportunities to become more sustainable and thus have a positive environmental impact on and in our environment.” According to Pieter, smarter construction, including through parametric design, is the solution. “We also apply that within our 3D concrete printing technology.”

Three major pillars

At Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix, the entire development of 3D concrete printing rests on three major pillars: sustainability, automation of construction (with process optimization as a goal) and freedom of form. “In terms of sustainability, we are looking beyond making concrete more eco-friendly. With 3D concrete printing, we have a technique that allows us to use even less material: less concrete, no reinforcement, no formwork. And because the process is largely automated, we can shorten delivery times and respond to the scarcity of skilled workers. In line with this is process optimization, where time and error reduction play a major role.” The third pillar, according to Pieter, is freedom of form. “After all, parametric design is a technical and very important expression of the ease of form freedom, but also the ability to generate ‘more exotic’ shapes plays an important role in this.”

Slope stairs

“A slope stairs, perhaps not the sexiest structure, very clearly demonstrates all the advantages of parametric design, immediately bringing out all the benefits of 3D concrete printing,” says Pieter. “Based on the relevant dimensions, we can design a talus staircase without drawing or calculation, which can be printed the next day and delivered within three weeks.”

 

The slope stairs is one of the products that Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix is fully marketing within concrete printing. “We are past the pioneering phase, have already realized about 50 stairs in the Netherlands and within the rest of Europe and have now received approval from ProRail, Rijkswaterstaat and several municipalities.”

Without drawing or calculation, we can design a slope stairs, which can be printed the next day and delivered within three weeks.Without drawing or calculation, we can design a talus staircase, which can be printed the next day and delivered within three weeks.

Most sustainable bicycle bridge

A lot more complicated than slope stairs or other fairly standard concrete products such as sewer manholes, are the 3D printed bicycle bridges rolling out of Weber Beamix’s print factory in Eindhoven. “In collaboration with BAM Infra and Province of Noord-Holland, who have really embraced our innovation, we installed four 3D printed bicycle bridges at the N243 earlier this year.

As a construction team, we went through all phases, from sketch to execution, approaching the project with the same three pillars: how can we do this sustainably, fully automated and with as little material as possible, and of course in the context of freedom of form.” This involves four bridges with different arches and dimensions, all realized from the same parametric model. It shows that within certain parameters, a lot really is possible.

Sustainable and digital innovation together

It may be obvious: 3D concrete printing fits a sustainable future. “We have already taken many steps but we are not there yet,” says Pieter. “Governments and industry will have to continue to innovate together to overcome the climate crisis. I therefore invite them to explore and take that step with us.”

This article was written for the Dutch trade magazine GWWTotaal. Click here to read the full article (in Dutch).

Naast taludtrappen en fietsbruggen ontwikkelt Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix ook andere vrij standaard betonproducten zoals rioolputten.

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in the public space

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Concrete Design Masterclass lets students 3D print with concrete

The Concrete Design Competition is organized biannually in Belgium, Ireland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. By rotation, one of the participating countries is the organizer and host country for the joint International Concrete Design Materclass. For the 11th edition of the Competition 2023-2024, it is the Netherlands’ turn. In the Netherlands, participants will get to work in our 3D concrete printing factory in Eindhoven.

 

Here they will work on their design and various master classes. On the last day, the participants actually get to work in the concrete printing factory.

 

3D-concrete printing in Masterclass

 

We will make our knowledge and facilities available for a week in August 2024 so that students can learn to design for the 3D concrete printer. The Master Class under the guidance of bureaubaker is also meant to be a hands-on workshop where the students themselves make the molds for the designs in concrete. In this Master Class, in addition to designing for the 3D concrete printer, molds will be made from textiles.

“The formal language of both textile molds and 3D printing can be called special, perhaps even organic, and can therefore be explored perfectly well together by the students.”

Siebe Bakker – bureaubakker

 

In the printing plant at Weber, the printing process is completely digitally controlled. And with these innovative techniques we have been able to realize many projects in recent years. The first printed bicycle bridge in Gemert was in fact the starting signal for a whole series of printed bridges in Nijmegen, Steenwijkerland and now for the province of North Holland, among others. Various bicycle and pedestrian bridges are also being printed. In addition, of course, we cannot forget the Milestone project, consisting of about 5 printed houses, the first of which has already been inhabited. And in 2022 we even made it to the Guinness Book of Records with the highest printed object in the world (12.10 meters), the 3D printed version of the Burj al-Hamam was on display at the Floriade in Almere.

Student design contest

 

In the Netherlands, the design competition for architecture, civil engineering, interior design and art students is organized by Tektoniek, platform for concrete architecture. “We challenge students to design with concrete, to explore the unique and aesthetic properties of this material within the theme of this edition ‘Presence’. This challenging theme addresses how the material can impart a certain tactile experience to the form of a space or object in the built environment,” said Cindy Vissering of Tektoniek.

 

The students who are allowed to attend the Concrete Design Masterclass are the winners of the Concrete Design Competition from the five participating countries. Each country organizes its own similar competition. In the Netherlands, in addition to participation in the Master Class, prize money is available to the winners. An expert jury evaluates the entries and the winners are announced in June. The Dutch jury consists of: Pim Peters of IMD consulting engineers, Albert Herder of Studioninedots, Arjen Ketting of MVRDV, Paul Stavert of Powerhouse Company and Jan de Koning of De Jong Beton. In previous editions, there were around 40 entries. “We are very curious about this edition’s entries,” Cindy Vissering concludes.

3D printing already in reach

On January 15, 2019, Weber Beamix opened Europe’s first commercial, industrial production site for 3D printing of concrete elements for construction in Eindhoven. Today, production is in full swing. Various components are being printed and fielded. There is even a second permanent production facility in Europe, a mobile factory for rental and a fixed product portfolio including custom-made slope stairs.

Set of 1

According to Pieter Bakker, 3D printing of concrete mortar makes individual serial production possible. This creates a huge increase in design freedom. Pieter: “The magic word is smarter construction, including parametric design. This is a process in which models or designs are automatically generated based on parameters, such as dimensions, material thickness or geometry. The print robot can vary endlessly based on different parameters. For example, you can give all the columns of a bridge or viaduct a different shape. Moreover, the printer only lays concrete where it is needed for structural strength. We therefore achieve savings of 30 to 40 percent. Formwork is also no longer needed, so there is also no waste.”

The printed elements for the outflow basin on transport.

Furthermore, according to Pieter, the whole process is faster and the margin of error decreases. During the design process, everyone is looking at the same design. Changes are immediately calculated and applied digitally. “You press ‘Ctrl+P’ at the end, so to speak, and the printer immediately starts production. For the construction site, the most important thing is that less time is needed on site, so also less man hours. This means faster, but also safer work, and construction becomes more attractive to young people through automation and robotisation. Another advantage is that you need fewer people on the construction site, which is important in these times of scarcity of skilled workers.”

Future

Pieter Bakker concludes, “I am convinced that 3D concrete printing is claiming its place in the market. The technology is no longer in its infancy, but we also really have plenty of challenges ahead of us.”

Click here to read the whole article (in Dutch)

Discover our newest 3D printed slopestairs

Did you know that 3D printed slopestairs have a lot of advantages? The biggest advantage is CO2-reduction because this slopestair has a 60% lower footprint instead of regular prefab staircases. In addition, we do not use reinforcement steel and less concrete is used by printing ‘hollow’ steps. 

 

Below we show you three project we have released last months. These examples truly showcase the value of 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP).

Slopestairs - Bitgum | 3D.Weber

Slopestairs in Bitgum

Three 3D printed slope stairs have been installed in the Frisian village of Bitgum. The stairs are placed in three different places by Cnossen Infra BV.

Slopestairs in Brielle

Leander Mackloet of Waterschap Hollandse Delta commissioned new slopestairs. The staircase leads to the control box of a pumping station.
3D printed slopestairs Brielle
3D printed slopestairs in Saambeek

Slopestairs in Saambeek

Wim Van der aa of contracting company Gebr van der Aa bv placed a staircase at a pumping station for the Water Board Aa en Maas.

Advantages of a 3D printed slope staircase:

  • 30% Cheaper than regular prefab staircases;
  • Delivered within two weeks;
  • Tailor made;
  • More than 50% more sustainable than regular prefab staircases;
  • Very easy to handle and assemble;
  • Fully comply with the dutch building regislations, we can tailor make the staircase bases on local regislations.

Are 3D printed slopestairs the fitting solution for your project? Or do you want to know more about the possibilties of 3D printed slopestairs? Request our infopaper or contact our projectleader Jean Pierre van Dongen: +31 6 15076705 or jeanpierre.vandongen@weberbeamix.nl.

Receive infopaper 3D-printed slopestairs