LafargeHolcim is innovating and is seizing opportunities in the 3D printing market by developing specific construction solutions. The Group has entered into a partnership with the French start-up XtreeE, which specialises in the development of large-scale 3D printing systems. This alliance has made it possible, for the first time in Europe, to market a concrete structural element created using a 3D printer.
LafargeHolcim has identified three potential markets: high value-added architecture, the individual construction of affordable homes, and the robotic construction of prefabricated building elements. In its R&D center in L’Isle d’Abeau near Lyon, LafargeHolcim teams have leveraged their scientific and technological expertise to design a range of experimental concrete mixes suitable for 3D printing.
LafargeHolcim has developed and provided materials designed specifically for the creation of two different 3D printed structures:
- A load-bearing post printed by XtreeE and assembled by Fehr Architectural, 4 meters high, to support the playground roof of a middle school in Aix-en-Provence in France. This is the first 3D printed structural element to be marketed in Europe.
- A pavilion created on behalf of the Ile-de-France regional authority using a revolutionary design, the fruit of a collaborative project bringing together XtreeE, Dassault Systèmes, ABB and LafargeHolcim.
These advances underscore LafargeHolcim’s commitment to delivering innovative solutions that create value for its customers. LafargeHolcim’s R&D center is the world’s largest within the construction materials sector, with a portfolio of 1,750 patents, and employs more than 200 researchers.
