China3D printingnetworkDecember 7, 2021, 14Trees, a joint venture between building materials expert LafargeHolcim and British publicly influential investor CDC Group, is building Africa’s largest 3D printing affordable housing project in Kenya.
These 52 housing communities will be located in the town of Kilifi in the northern part of Mombasa and will become part of Kenya’s green heart regeneration ecosystem, supporting Kenya’s President Kenyatta’s “Big Four” agenda to increase affordable housing in the area.
“We are very happy to be able to build one of the world’s largest 3D printed affordable housing projects in Kenya,” said Jan Jenisch, CEO of Holcim. “With today’s rapid urbanization process, by 2030, it is expected that there will be more than 3 billion People cannot afford housing. This problem is most serious in Africa. Countries such as Kenya are estimated to have faced a shortage of 2 million housing units.
By deploying 3D printing, we can resolve this infrastructure gap on a large scale, thereby improving the living standards of everyone. “
A rendering of a house in the Mvule Gardens complex. Picture from 14Trees.
Solving the housing crisis in Africa
Last year, 14Trees embarked on a mission to build affordable low-carbon housing and schools in Africa, starting with a prototype house in Lilongwe and a school in Salima, Malawi. According to reports, Salima School was completed in just 12 hours in July. It is the world’s first 3D printing school and has welcomed students.
The project was launched in Zimbabwe earlier this year to address the country’s long-standing housing and infrastructure shortage and to demonstrate the capabilities of 3D printing buildings.
Now, 14Trees is expanding its 3D printing affordable housing project to Kenya as it continues to support the construction industry in Africa and develop 3D printing technology across the continent.
A rendering of the front of one of the 3D printed houses. Picture from 14Trees.
3D printed Keynan community
The 3D printing construction project of 14Trees uses Holcim’s proprietary ink TectorPrint, combined with the BOD2 robot 3D construction printer provided by the Danish 3D printing construction company COBOD. According to reports, this combination reduces the environmental footprint by more than 50% compared to traditional construction techniques, and emits lower carbon dioxide emissions than standard cement production methods.
TectorPrint gives 3D printed walls a structural function to bear the load of the building, while BOD2 can print concrete structures up to 10 meters long and wide, and 3 meters high.
COBOD’s robotic construction 3D printers have previously been deployed for a number of high-profile 3D printing projects, including Germany’s first 3D printed commercial apartment building, and the first “record-setting” alongside LafargeHolcim and GE Renewable10 Meter concrete wind turbine tower base vitality.
Kenya’s new building complex Mvule Gardens will use 14Trees’ 3D printing technology to build 52 affordable houses. The complex was specially designed by MASS Design Group, a construction company headquartered in the United States and Africa, to provide modern and replicable housing units to meet the needs of underserved communities in low-income families.
14Trees can provide a quick and economical way to solve the housing shortage in Africa. It is estimated that there is a shortage of about 50 million housing units, which will also help create local technical jobs in sustainability and 3D technology and other fields.
The project has obtained the IFC-EDGE Advanced Sustainable Design Certification, which recognizes resource-saving and zero-carbon buildings, and construction will begin in the first quarter of 2022.Tenbite Ermias, Managing Director of Africa and Africa of CDC Group, said: “14Trees is the first to use cutting-edge technology to address one of Africa’s most pressing development needs-affordable housing-to create life-changing infrastructure for the entire community.”
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