In just 34 days, a giant tablet-operated printer erected the largest 3D-printed apartment building in Europe, three months faster than the traditional method and using half the workers on the construction site.

Written by Maria Heloisa Barbosa Borges

Published on 29/05/2026 at 00:13

2 people reacted to this.

A giant printer from the brand COBOD BOD2, operated by PERI 3D Construction, completed the ViliaSprint² in Bezannes, France, the largest 3D-printed concrete residential building in Europe. The giant printer erected the structure of 12 apartments distributed over three floors and 800 square meters in 34 working days, with only three operators controlling the system via tablet. The total schedule was three months shorter than conventional construction, and next to the printed building, an almost identical building was erected by the traditional method for direct comparison.

A giant concrete printer has just built the largest 3D-printed apartment building in Europe, and the numbers challenge everything the construction industry considers normal. The ViliaSprint², in Bezannes, France, was erected in 34 working days of printing, with only three operators on the construction site, compared to the initially planned 50 days and the six workers required by conventional construction. The giant printer COBOD BOD2 extruded concrete layer by layer to form the complete structure of 12 apartments over three floors and 800 square meters of living space, including support walls and all internal partitions.

The project was developed by Plurial Novilia, a subsidiary of Action Logement, as social housing. To validate the results, the company built an almost identical building next to it, using the conventional method, allowing direct performance comparison. The result confirmed that the giant printer reduced the total schedule by three months and material waste from 10% to 5%, in addition to saving approximately 10% in concrete volume thanks to the optimized curved geometry that is only economically viable with 3D printing.

The numbers delivered by the giant printer

Street-level view of ViliaSprint², the largest 3D-printed multifamily building in Europe, in Bezannes, France. The curved concrete structure, printed on-site with a COBOD BOD2 printer, is complemented by wooden balconies.
Image: Cobod.com — ^{Street-level view of ViliaSprint², the largest 3D-printed multifamily building in Europe, in Bezannes, France. The curved concrete structure, printed on-site with a COBOD BOD2 printer, is complemented by wooden balconies.}
Image: Cobod.com

The printing phase began in March 2025 and was completed ahead of schedule. The giant printer printed the entire structure in 34 working days, but if the layer height used had been 5 centimeters instead of the 2 centimeters adopted, the time would have dropped to just 14 days, according to Henrik Lund-Nielsen, founder of COBOD International.

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The curved facade that only the giant printer enables

The rounded layout and curved facade of ViliaSprint² are features that would cost a fortune in conventional molds, but in 3D printing, they have no additional cost. The giant printer follows digitally programmed paths, and complex curves require the same operational effort as straight lines, eliminating the need for custom molds that increase the cost of unconventional geometries.

The optimized shape of the building also saved approximately 10% of the total concrete volume compared to an equivalent rectangular design. The printable concrete was supplied by Holcim, based on TectorPrint technology, reinforced with synthetic macrofibers, and formulated within the ECOPact line with CO2 reduction. On-site production eliminated transportation emissions that would be necessary to bring prefabricated panels from a distant factory.

Sustainability beyond the giant printer

Aerial view of ViliaSprint² in Bezannes, France, showing the unique rounded geometry made possible by 3D concrete printing, a shape that would incur significantly higher costs in construction with conventional forms.
image: Cobod.com — ^{Aerial view of ViliaSprint² in Bezannes, France, showing the unique rounded geometry made possible by 3D concrete printing, a shape that would incur significantly higher costs in construction with conventional forms.}
image: Cobod.com

The ViliaSprint² integrates 500 square meters of photovoltaic panels, perlite insulation, wooden balconies, and a hybrid gas and heat pump system. The complex achieves about 60% energy self-sufficiency, in compliance with France’s RE2020/2025 goals for low-carbon buildings.

The combination of a giant printer that reduces waste and construction time with efficient energy systems positions the ViliaSprint² as a reference for the future of social housing in Europe. The building is not just a technological demonstration: 12 families will live in apartments built faster, with less environmental impact, and with the same structural safety as a conventional building.

The next step: 40 apartments with two giant printers

Plurial Novilia and its partners are already planning a subsequent project with approximately 40 apartments, using two giant printers simultaneously. The goal is to reduce printing time by four times and, through greater scale, match the costs to conventional construction, eliminating the last barrier to the massive adoption of the technology.

Johnny Huat, general director of Plurial Novilia, stated that “the ViliaSprint² demonstrates the potential of 3D printing for faster and more sustainable housing.” If the next project confirms economic viability on a larger scale, the giant printer that erected 800 square meters of concrete in 34 days may cease to be a novelty and become a standard tool on construction sites where speed, efficiency, and sustainability are priorities.

Would you live in a building erected by a giant printer in 34 days? What impresses you the most: the three operators with a tablet, the three months less of construction, or the curves that only 3D printing makes possible? Tell us in the comments.

In just 34 days, a giant tablet-operated printer erected the largest 3D-printed apartment building in Europe, three months faster than the traditional method and using half the workers on the construction site.

The numbers delivered by the giant printer

The curved facade that only the giant printer enables

Sustainability beyond the giant printer

The next step: 40 apartments with two giant printers

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In just 34 days, a giant tablet-operated printer erected the largest 3D-printed apartment building in Europe, three months faster than the traditional method and using half the workers on the construction site.

The numbers delivered by the giant printer

The curved facade that only the giant printer enables

Sustainability beyond the giant printer

The next step: 40 apartments with two giant printers

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Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

A robot named Walter does the work of five bricklayers per hour and can save the construction industry, where the average age of professionals is 46 years and almost no one wants to learn the trade anymore, in the United Kingdom.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

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