A 3D-Printed single-family home was built near Beroun

For Coral Construction Technologies, this is the second single-family home they have built using 3D concrete printing technology. The first is located in Luxembourg; the second was constructed in June near Beroun.

The shell of the modern CASA Z family home was printed from concrete directly on-site using a Navigator 3D printer. The concept and architectural design were created by Italian architect Andrea Palazzo, lead architect at the Prague-based studio AP Architects, who also serves as the project’s investor. The interior design, surrounding environment, and graphic design were handled by the studio pragdh.com.

The house ensures absolute comfort; 3D printing provides flexibility

Despite its atypical floor plan, CASA Z offers everything we expect from a modern family home. It features three separate rooms, with the master bedroom having its own bathroom, as well as a study and a main living room with a kitchen. The house also includes a two-car garage and utility space. Its total usable area is 196.15 m².

The interior features 3D-printed load-bearing walls with organic curves that reinforce the overall architectural concept. The printed structure consists of 12 exterior walls, 10 interior partitions, and 10 lintels, which were not printed as a solid monolith but as a hollow structure. The resulting cavities are subsequently filled with insulation material. The surface of the printed walls can remain exposed both inside and outside as exposed concrete, thereby reducing the cost of plastering. However, if the future owner has a specific vision for the interior, the walls can be plastered or clad.

Furthermore, 3D printing technology made it possible to adapt the building’s shape to the lot, make efficient use of the available space, and better integrate the house with its surroundings.

Printing Directly on the Construction Site

The shell of the building was constructed using on-site technology, i.e., printing directly at the location. Coral Construction Technologies used its own patented Navigator 3D concrete printer, valued at $598,000, for this purpose. The printer is equipped with fully steerable wheels, allowing it to move and maneuver with high precision even on very cramped construction sites.

Printing the house took 15 days, during which the printer processed an average of 4 to 6 m³ of concrete mix per day. In total, approximately 62 m³ of material was used for the shell of the building. The project demonstrates in practice that 3D concrete printing technology offers not only speed but also extraordinary architectural freedom, environmental sustainability, and a potential solution to the labor shortage in the construction industry, as the printing process itself is handled by just two people—an operator and a technician.

Curves Are Just as Easy as Straight Lines

At first glance, the house captivates not only with the typical texture of the printed surface but also with the rounded shapes of its walls. For a 3D printer, creating a curve is just as easy as printing a straight wall. Moreover, the technology allows for great freedom in design, and the architect took full advantage of this when designing the house.

The CASA Z project thus vividly demonstrates how technology developed in the Czech Republic can be used to integrate architecture, interior design, and the surrounding environment into a single functional whole. At the same time, it confirms that 3D concrete printing is no longer merely an experimental method, but a technology that can be used to build a fully-fledged single-family home with a proper building permit.