3D printer builds four-storey concrete headquarters in Tyrol

A mobile 3D concrete printer is building the walls of a four-storey company headquarters in Weerberg, in Tyrol’s Schwaz district, in a project ORF says is unprecedented in Austria at this scale.

A robotic arm pumps concrete and lays it down layer by layer to form the load-bearing walls on site. In ideal conditions, the printer can complete one floor in two days. The process creates almost no construction noise, as workers mainly monitor the computer-controlled operation and make manual adjustments where needed.

The building will house a Schwaz-based IT company. Chris Brandstätt, a printing technology expert at Nelcon, said the cost of the structural shell is expected to be about half that of conventional construction.

The project is breaking new ground in Tyrol and has required extensive approvals, including for fire safety. Reinforced concrete is still required in some cases for safety reasons. Later modifications, such as adding a ventilation system, may also be necessary because of the solid-concrete construction.