Low CO2 Concrete, 3D Printed Building Unveiled in Copenhagen

The use of 3D printing in the construction sector should no longer come as a surprise. What was once a niche topic has gradually increased worldwide with 3D printed buildings popping up in New Zealand, Qatar, China, the USA, the UK, Germany and many other places. But even if construction 3D printing is becoming widespread, there are still obstacles that need to be overcome in the industry. Notably, these center on environmental concerns, especially the high carbon footprint of concrete. But now, a new community building in Copenhagen that was 3D printed with low CO2 concrete material has been announced.

As mentioned, there are a number of concerns centered on sustainability in construction. Materials are at the core of this as the cement industry is one of the main producers of carbon dioxide, with an estimated 4 billion tons of cement produced in 2021 contributing to 8% of CO2 emissions according to Chatham House. This notably has put a dent in claims that additive manufacturing will be key to making construction more sustainable. If construction 3D printing is still using concrete, won’t the end result still be the same? But if it was combined with low CO2 concrete, that would no longer be an issue.

The 3D printed community building was made using a COBOD BOD2 printer

In a press release, AFK, the real estate developer behind the building, further explained, “3D printing is an adaptive construction process where material is added only where necessary. In the process, it is determined how much material should be used in different building components, making it possible to create buildings where concrete is only added where it is structurally necessary. This allows for a reduction in resource consumption and can bring significant environmental and economic benefits while providing greater freedom in the architectural design of the building.” This is obviously only increased if the material is also more environmentally-friendly, such as with this 3D printed community building made out of low CO2 concrete.

A 3D Printed Building Made With Low CO2 Concrete

As mentioned, the building in question is destined to be community building in the greater Copenhagen area in Denmark. It measures 72 m2 (775 SF), and will house a gym, guest room and common laundry for the residents. Denmark is known as well for its focus on environmental measures, which is one reason why the companies making the building, AKF in partnership with 3DCP Group, sought ways to lower the carbon footprint.

This was done by using 3D printing as explained by AFK, but also through the use of a low CO2 cement. Indeed, this cement has a carbon footprint that is 30% lower than that of normal cement. CO2 was then further lowered by mixing the cement with local sand and gravel to create a 3D printable concrete, using the D.fab admixtures method developed by Cemex and COBOD. Compared to printing with mortars, this low CO2 cement 3D printable concrete lowered CO2 emissions by 50%.

Concrete made out of low CO2 cement led to a 50% reduction in CO2 footprint compared to when 3D printing mortars

Vibeke Lorenzen, the technical director at AFK, concluded, “3D printing opens the door to a world of possibilities, and hopefully, we can contribute to pushing the industry’s traditional construction methods.” You can find out more in the press release HERE.

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*All Photo Credits: COBOD