The revolution will be printed

Britain’s housing crisis has reached critical levels. A shortfall in social housing and rising construction costs has made affordable homes increasingly elusive. 

But a new and rapidly developing technology could offer a solution - 3D concrete printing. 

One not-for-profit housing company called Building for Humanity is constructing Europe's largest ever 3D concrete printed social housing development in Accrington, and they believe this technology could offer a solution. 

By capitalising on the latest concrete printing technology they aim to redefine how affordable housing is constructed by building 46 homes, a community centre, and a shared green space. 

The £6 million Charter Street project will be Europe’s largest stand-alone 3D printed residential development which aims to break ground between September and November this year. 

Building for Humanity commercial manager Iain Hulse said: “The technology has provided the opportunity to do exactly what we want to do but quicker and a lot more cost effectively.”

With a philosophy based around achieving greater affordability, sustainability and efficiency within the housing sector, Building for Humanity aims to add social value, training and employment opportunities for its 150 residents. 

Its benefits include reducing labour costs, quicker construction and a reduction in waste, with the company aiming to save 30% on production time and costs.  

Hulse added: “But the aim of this is not just to utilise the technology and promote it but also to show how easy it is to solve an unsolvable social housing problem.”

Local action group Social Homes for Manchester uncovered that 506 of the 23,264 homes built in the city between 2012 and 2022 were social housing, and the issue became a central part of Andy Burnham's election campaign promising 10,000 new council homes by 2028. 

One solution could be using brownfield sites.

3D concrete printed developments can be produced on any of the 33,710 commercially unviable sites in the UK due to their ability to adapt to the complex environments and print directly on site.

This can therefore mitigate issues faced by traditional construction methods when dealing with existing structures or environmental concerns.

However, it is not just the construction industry which could benefit from a surge in 3D printing technology. 

Hurst added: “3D printing can be used in a lot of industries and this is part of our philosophy.

“It doesn’t matter if you are from engineering or textiles, whatever your background there is some application to 3D printing.”

In a bid to rebuild the British manufacturing industry, the government commissioned the Made Smarter review in 2017.

The think tank found 3D printing could boost development and act as a resource hub for small and medium sized enterprises. 

As a result, localised production became an essential cog in the 3D printing machine. 

Product Development Specialist Mark Chester said: “If you produce in-house or down the road that carbon footprint of your product should reduce a lot.

“The best projects we have worked on are where we see significant changes in the companies whether that be a significant reduction in money, or other added value in terms of reducing the amount of Co2 they are producing, or being able to go to market a lot quicker. 

“That is where we see real benefit.”

Therefore, by harnessing the power of 3D printing technology, experts believe that Britain has a unique opportunity to address its housing crisis, reduce environmental impact and bolster local economies through an efficient manufacturing process.

They are also hopeful that this potential lies in the capacity to embrace these advancements and offer sustainable as well as affordable solutions for the next generation.