Europe's Largest 3D Printed Housing Project Cuts Build Time in Half

A social housing development in Bezannes, France has delivered hard numbers on what 3D construction printing can actually achieve at scale. The ViliaSprint² project, a 12-apartment, three-storey building covering roughly 800 square metres, is now the largest 3D printed multi-family residential structure in Europe. More importantly, it was built alongside a nearly identical conventional structure on the same site, giving us a rare controlled comparison rather than vendor projections. The Build

The project was executed by PERI 3D Construction using COBOD's BOD2 gantry printer, with concrete supplied by Holcim and development managed by Plurial Novilia, a subsidiary of Action Logement. The printing phase, covering the full load-bearing structure and all walls, completed in 34 days. That is 16 days under the 50-day projection, and three months faster overall than the conventional equivalent next door. What Changed on Site

The labour count dropped from six workers to three. Those three operated the printer via tablet, eliminating most manual material handling. In an industry already struggling with skilled labour shortages, that reduction matters more than the raw number suggests.

Material waste halved, from 10% to 5%. The curved geometry that 3D printing enables also cut concrete use by roughly 10%, a saving that would have been prohibitively expensive with traditional formwork. The rounded façade is not a design statement; it is simply what becomes economical when you are not paying for bespoke moulds.

Energy performance was integrated from the outset: perlite insulation, timber balconies, 500 square metres of photovoltaic panels, and a hybrid heating system combine to hit approximately 60% energy self-sufficiency, meeting France's RE2020 2025 standards. The Controlled Comparison

Plurial Novilia's decision to build a conventional twin on the same site is what makes this data useful. Shell construction time was cut in half. The partners acknowledge that further gains are likely as the technology matures, but even at this stage the numbers are concrete.

> "We are proud to have supported this project as technology partner and print executor. The result shows vividly what is already possible in 3D building printing today, faster construction, fewer workers, and fully load-bearing structures. This is an important milestone and motivation to push this technology further." > — Dr. Fabian Meyer-Brötz, Managing Director, PERI 3D Construction

Henrik Lund-Nielsen, founder of COBOD, pointed out that the 34-day print time was not the floor. A 5 cm layer height, technically feasible, would have dropped the printing phase to 14 days for the full 800 square metres. What Comes Next

The partners are already planning a 40-apartment follow-on, this time with two printers running simultaneously. The target is a fourfold reduction in print time. Cost parity with conventional construction is the stated goal as scale and process maturity improve.

> "ViliaSprint² is a significant step in testing new construction methods and demonstrates the potential of 3D printing for faster and more sustainable housing." > — Johnny Huat, Managing Director, Plurial Novilia

The question now is whether these gains hold as the projects get larger and the novelty wears off. For now, the Bezannes site offers the clearest evidence yet that 3D printing in construction is moving from pilot projects to measurable advantage.

M4S TAKE

My take: certifications like this matter because they give buyers a defensible reason to shortlist a supplier. In a market where everyone claims quality, third-party validation is the difference between being considered and being ignored.

Simon McLoughlin