Australia’s first 3D printed multi-storey home might be an answer to housing crisis

A first-of-its kind innovation has quietly squeezed into a Melbourne suburb, with experts claiming it could change the game for new home builds.

A construction company has unveiled the first multistorey, 3D-printed home in the Southern Hemisphere.

Located in Melbourne’s outer suburbs, the innovative project has given Aussies a glimpse of the future powered by the capabilities of AI 3D construction technology.

The technology has given people the ability to create small objects from digital blueprints mocked up on a computer. The innovation is nothing new, but it is still slowly making its way into the everyday consumer market.

But now, LUYTEN’s 3D Construction Printer is pushing the boundaries of what is possible on a larger scale.

3D printing has been touted by futurists as a cost-effective method of tackling homelessness, with suggestions to print economical tiny homes for millions across the globe taking the web by storm.

And now it is being implemented in new home builds around the world.

A construction company has unveiled the first multistorey, 3D-printed home in the Southern Hemisphere.

The house features elements like a lift core and acoustically optimised wall shapes to minimise noise through diffraction principles.

The AI-powered printer employs reinforcement-learning algorithms to ensure each printed layer’s structural integrity and precision.

Spanning 350 square meters, the multistorey residence is set to become the home of LUYTEN’s CEO and Global President, Ahmed Mahil.

“As the first CEO to live in a 3D printed house, printed by his own company and own company’s manufactured robots, I intend to break the psychological barrier people may have and to smash any doubts in the industry about the future of 3D printed homes,” he said.

A construction company has unveiled the first multistorey, 3D-printed home in the Southern Hemisphere.

One of the biggest advantages of the technology is the speed of construction.

LUYTEN’s multistorey home is expected to be completed in just five weeks, a stark contrast to the typical 8-11 months required for traditional builds.

The potential of 3D printing as a solution to Australia’s housing crisis has not gone unnoticed, with the company receiving positive feedback and support from both State and Federal governments.

In late 2024, Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic visited LUYTEN’s 3D construction printer robot factory in Melbourne, signalling governmental interest in the innovative approach to one of the nation’s crippling issues.

While it’s unclear if 3D printing could be the silver bullet for the government’s ambitious housing supply plan, the introduction of more efficient methods has opened up a lot of opportunities for the future.

The Albanese government has agreed to an new national target to build 1.2 million new homes over years from 1 July 2024, but there is a lot of criticism floating around about exactly how that number will be met.

The technology cuts down on building time, waste and manpower requirements.

3D house printing gains momentum

A number of countries have begun the transition to fully 3D-printed home construction.

In Ireland, three families recently moved into the country’s first 3D-printed homes in Dundalk, Co Louth. The two-storey, three-bedroom terraced houses were constructed in just six months, with the actual printing taking just 12 days.

Dubai holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s biggest 3D-printed structure and aims to have 25 per cent of new buildings constructed using 3D printing technology by 2030.

In Chile, university team in recently built a huge 3D-printed concrete home that they say is the first of its kind in Latin America.

Last year, a construction company in Texas put the finishing touches on the last of 100 3D-printed houses in Wolf Ranch, a community in Georgetown, using its bespoke robotic printer.

“It brings a lot of efficiency to the trade market,” ICON senior project manager Conner Jenkins told Reuters.

“So, where there were maybe five different crews coming in to build a wall system, we now have one crew and one robot.”

Originally published as Australia’s first 3D printed multi-storey home might be an answer to housing crisis