In Reims, the first houses built of 3D concrete are ready

Its curvilinear shape can surprise at first, but for the rest, nothing really sets these five terraced homes installed in the heart of the Réma’vert ecoregion in Reims (Marne) and opened this Thursday, June 2: Flat green roof , the wood cladding, the large windows, and the interior, the same surface: apart from the round walls, nothing seems unusual. However, the entire southern part with its light-flooded spaces was produced using a modern technology: 3D concrete printing paired with prefabricated wooden units. This is the first time in France.

At the end of the month, the first tenants will be sleeping in these homes designed by social owner Plurial Novilia. This is the case of Rushdi Zardi who is back for a tour of the owner. He and his family fell in love with this unusual home: “I knew how to 3D print, but I learned that you can also print load-bearing walls. It’s impressive,” he slips, examining the layers of concrete that make up the wall. Thanks to a robot with an articulated arm that deposits successive layers of concrete, the walls at Rungis are built using the XtreeE process.

Project to be developed

Therefore, Rushdie will soon move in with his wife and two daughters, aged 16-22, in an area of ​​92 square metres. “They are already arguing about which room to occupy,” he laughs. This would be a big change for us, since we live in an apartment on the 4th floor. We’ve been searching for a long time and will finally be able to feel right at home here. »

This Viliaprint project is not intended to be unique in France. “Thanks to this technology, it took one year to build these houses, while it took sixteen months for a traditional dwelling. Not to mention that this technology saves almost 50% of the concrete, because the robot calculates the necessary quantities. The goal of the game is not to keep it for us, If it can be copied and reproduced, that’s all we want,” concludes Jerome Florentine, Director of Project Management at Plurial Novilia.