3D printing hasn't quite reached full science-fiction territory yet; it can't make an entire building out of nothing in an instant. However, 3D printing-powered construction is a very real practice, and has already yielded numerous giant things you may not have know can be 3D printed. In Bezannes, France, an entire 3-story apartment building was constructed in a mere 34 days using the power of 3D printing in 2025. It's not as fast as when Europe's biggest 3D-printed building was constructed, but is impressive nonetheless.
This apartment project, named ViliaSprint2, was developed by Plurial Novilia, designed by HOBO Architecture, and constructed by PERI 3D Construction. With the help of a COBOD BOD2 3D printer, PERI assembled the entire building in a little over a month, which is incredible in its own right, but also faster than the original 50-day estimate for completion. Compared to the several months it would normally take to get such a building finished, ViliaSprint2 is ready to go, complete with a central heat pump system, and using bio- and geo-based materials.
Efficiency gains from 3D printing
The 12-unit, 3-story ViliaSprint2 building measures in at approximately 36 feet wide, 111 feet long, and 29 feet high, with each floor offering 3,767 square feet of available space for tenants. The building was constructed using 3D-printed concrete, specially-formulated by Holcim Lafarge. This material has strong load-bearing properties as well as natural fire resistance, with the full brunt of the building's weight being safely borne by its walls, a first for the 3D printing construction industry.
The success of this project has gone a long way toward proving the viability and efficacy of 3D printing in construction. Only three workers were needed on site, who were able to control the 3D printing equipment with a tablet interface instead of performing the heavy lifting themselves. Additionally, thanks to its 3D-printed concrete makeup, the process involves just 5% wasted materials versus the more typical 10%. 3D printing also helped with using less concrete to create the building's rounded geometry, a big advantage 3D-printed buildings have over traditional ones.
To drive the efficiency point home, Plurial Novilia built a second, similar apartment building right next to the 3D-printed complex using traditional methods. It took approximately three months to complete, or three times as long as the 3D-printed structure, requiring more workers in the process. The developer is already aiming to get more 3D-printed buildings on the books, with subsequent projects slated to use two printers at once to speed things up even further.