Louth County Council has announced that work has commenced on 3D Construction Printed (3DCP) social housing
The 3D printed social housing project is being worked in Dundalk, Co Louth, and is named Grange Close pilot project.
The project is headed by Louth County Council, who are co-operating with the Louth & Meath Education & Training Board (LMETB), Harcourt Technologies Ltd, and Roadstone Ltd.
The project aims to deliver sustainable and quality housing
The 3DCP technology being utilised may develop a way of building sustainable, affordable, and efficient housing at a more rapid pace through the use of 3D construction printing technology.
The houses being built are three-bedroom terraced housing units with a floor area around 110m².
The construction involves the use of large 3D printers to build three-dimensional structures one layer at a time, on site. The materials consist of ready-mix concrete (RMC) that is deposited through a gantry-based 3DCP machine following a digital model.
The results are housing structures built three times faster than through traditional methods of housebuilding, streamlining the process immensely.
“At the forefront of innovative technology”
Joan Martin, chief executive at Louth County Council, said: “Louth County Council is proud to collaborate with LMETB, Harcourt Technologies Ltd (HTL.tech), and Roadstone Ltd to deliver what is a very significant pilot project at Grange Close, Dundalk. The provision of high quality and sustainable social housing is a core objective of Louth County Council, and this project is a significant example of the use of innovative technologies and organisational collaboration in the delivery of new homes.”
Justin Kinsella, MD and co-founder of HTL.tech, said: “Co. Louth is at the forefront of innovative technology aimed at offering a solution to Ireland’s housing shortage, and having grown up in the region, I am immensely proud. This endeavour highlights Louth County Council’s progressive stance towards meeting housing needs and its dedication to promoting sustainable solutions. The transformative potential of this technology is very exciting, offering a viable solution to help address our housing challenges. We’re excited to start the Grange Close project and work with our development partners to create real change.”
Patrick Diviney, commercial manager at Roadstone, said: “Roadstone is a solutions-focused business committed to driving innovation and sustainability. We are delighted to partner with Harcourt Technologies Ltd to offer this future-based approach to construction. Integrating new technology and traditional building materials offers a new era of efficiency and carbon reduction – working towards a sustainable future. Collaboration between Roadstone technical staff and the team at HTL, combined with access to our industry-leading R&D laboratory, has facilitated the development of bespoke RMC designs coupled with an efficient and high-tech modern method of construction.”
