Germany's turbo boost for housing construction: Premiere for serial 3D construction printing is set

The so-called DREIHAUS is a novelty in 3D residential building printing and a milestone that sets new standards – in terms of speed, cost-effectiveness, and, thanks to the use of Carbon Captured Net-Zero cement for the first time in Germany, also in terms of the CO₂-footprint.With Germany's leading experts in 3D construction printing PERI 3D Construction, Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck, and Heidelberg Materials, as well as SSV Architekten, builder Hans-Jörg Kraus manages to complete the project in less than twelve months, from the building application to completion.

Walls created in record time with holistic 3D printing system

PERI 3D Construction is using its holistic 3D contruction printing system in Heidelberg and is carrying out the 3D printing work on the three apartment buildings with a team of two to three people. “The 3D printer automatically follows the pre-planned paths and prints one square meter of wall in about five minutes. This is how the walls of the largest apartment building were constructed in just 26 working days,” explains Dr. Fabian Meyer-Brötz, Managing Director of PERI 3D Construction.

For the leading provider of 3D printing solutions, the significance of the 3D printing project lies not only in the technology used, but rather in what is being printed: "DREIHAUS combines everything we have learned in our 17 3D printing projects to date. This involves both well-thought-out floor plans optimized for 3D printing and the sensible integration of 3D printing into the entire construction process. Each DREIHAUS is divided into two segments. While one half is being printed, the ceiling is already being concreted in the other. This allows the apartment buildings to grow rapidly in height.”

Affordable housing for Germany

“Compared to conventional construction methods, DREIHAUS can be completed 30% faster and 10% more cost-effectively. We want to prove these figures in practice with this project and will publish the relevant data once the project is complete. Today, DREIHAUS can be implemented as often as desired by any construction company that wants to get started with 3D concrete printing. This opens up a new avenue for serial construction, directly on the construction site. Only with standardization, efficiency, and reproducibility can we meet the demand for affordable housing in Germany. And with DREIHAUS, residential construction from the 3D printer is going into series production,“ says Dr. Meyer-Brötz.

Residential construction from the 3D printer is now going into series production

”As part of the PERI Group, we see 3D concrete printing as a key technology for the next generation of construction. With the DREIHAUS project, we are demonstrating how residential buildings can be constructed faster, more efficiently, and to a high standard of quality. For PERI, DREIHAUS is not just another project step, but a symbolic milestone: it shows that serial 3D housing construction in the German market is not just a vision for the future, but can be implemented immediately," says Christian Schwörer, CEO PERI Group.

Fully planned building concept, scalable and optimized for 3D printing

"At Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck, we are proud to have developed a concept together with our partners that makes affordable, sustainable, and architecturally high-quality living space possible in the shortest possible time. What makes DREIHAUS unique is its fully planned, scalable building concept for a three-story apartment building, optimized for 3D printing and available in three sizes, S, M, and L with six to twelve residential units ranging from 46 to 89 square meters, it is 30% faster to complete and 10% cheaper than a conventional apartment building," emphasize Waldemar Korte and Alexander Hoffmann of Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck.

"However, our vision does not end with planning. From 2026, we at Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck will be involved in the realization of DREIHAUS projects as property developers ourselves. This is the next crucial step for us: we are taking responsibility not only for the architecture and planning, but also for the creation of urgently needed living space”, say Waldemar Korte and Alexander Hoffmann of Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck. “Especially for the KRAUSGRUPPE, we then worked with Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck in a consortium to adapt a few details of the DREIHAUS Basic to the client's wishes,” adds Jan van der Velden-Volkmann from SSV Architekten.

Significant CO₂ reduction in building materials

As an expert in 3D concrete printing and decarbonization of the built environment, Heidelberg Materials is providing high-tech materials with significantly reduced CO₂ emissions for the DREIHAUS project. The first two houses will be built using evoBuild® 3D printing, which contains a binder that already enables a significant reduction in CO₂ compared to traditional Portland cement.

German premiere: 3D printing with the world's first carbon captured net-zero cement, evoZero®

For the third house, the partners are going one step further: for the first time in Germany, evoZero® from Heidelberg Materials is being used as a binder, the world's first net-zero cement based on carbon capture and storage (CCS). The CO₂ reduction in evoZero® is achieved through the use of innovative CO₂ capture technology at the Heidelberg Materials plant in Norway, where the captured CO₂ is permanently stored in the seabed. Stringent mechanisms ensure that every ton of captured CO₂ is accurately and only once credited to evoZero's CO₂ footprint.

"With the German premiere of evoZero®, the world's first net-zero cement made from CO₂ capture and storage, we are heralding a new era of sustainable construction in Heidelberg. I am particularly pleased that we can demonstrate how closely innovation and sustainability are linked at Heidelberg Materials as part of DREIHAUS," explains Dr. Dominik von Achten, CEO of Heidelberg Materials. “In addition to the innovative DREIHAUS project, we have already realized the largest 3D-printed building in Europe with the KRAUSGRUPPE and PERI 3D Construction.”

Trial living in the boarding house

The buildings for commercial living will be ready for occupancy in early summer 2026. The future tenant, MyStay Scherer, will offer the “HEI³ Apartments – Heidelberg hoch 3” boarding house as serviced apartments for temporary living for companies and business travelers – and for anyone who would like to xperience all this for themselves during a trial stay at DREIHAUS.