Kazakhstan’s 3D-Printed Home: Affordable Innovation

Designed by BM Partners and created using COBOD’s BOD2 model, an unnamed house in Almaty, Kazakhstan is Central Asia’s first 3D-printed home. The project demonstrates the durability of 3D-printed architecture, able to withstand harsh weather and seismic activity. Impressively, the house can be printed in just five days, costing less than a regular house.

To build the walls, the COBOD 3D printer uses a strong cement-like mixture, customized to meet Almaty’s strict seismic regulations. This special mix, developed with Cemex, has a compression strength of nearly 60 MPa (8,500 PSI), surpassing the typical 7-10 MPa (1,015-1,450 PSI) of conventional building materials in Kazakhstan. It also includes expanded polystyrene concrete for insulation, ensuring the home can endure Kazakhstan’s extreme temperatures, ranging from -57 to 49 degrees Celsius (-70.6 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit).

Once the walls are printed, workers add doors, windows, and furniture, finishing the process in about two months. The completed home provides 100 square meters of floor space on one level, with a simple layout, ample glazing, and a spacious living room. Priced at around $21,800, this home highlights the potential of 3D-printed construction, offering an affordable alternative to traditional housing.