The project, which does not yet have an official name, will be created in Heidelberg. The design is based on the aesthetics of 3D printed architecture – the building will be undulating and decorated with green spaces. Cloud computing infrastructure will be located inside.

What will the building be like and how will construction progress?

The data center will be 54 meters long, 11 meters wide and 9 meters high. This would make it the largest 3D-printed building in Europe. The center is being built using the same COBOD BOD 2 printer used to print the 2020 two-story building in Antwerp.

During the assembly process, the printer compresses a cement-like mixture in layers from the nozzle, following the drawing and forming the main shell of the building. It will take about 140 hours to print the data center. There will only be two builders on site to make sure everything goes well. Their main task is to ensure timely feeding of the building mixture to the machine.

A 3D printed data center is being built using a COBOD 3D printer / Photograph: SSV Architekten

Once the 3D printer is done, builders will have to do what 3D printers haven’t been able to do yet – installing the roof, doors and laying engineering communications. According to Kraus Gruppe, the building will be recyclable and CO2 emissions from its printing will be about 55 percent of those emitted when built with regular Portland cement.

This unique project highlights two key advantages of 3D printed building structures: speed of implementation and freedom of design. This enables our technology to build everything from cost-effective windmill towers and low-cost apartment buildings in Africa to architectural office buildings in Germany.
– said Henrik Lund-Nielsen, founder and CEO of COBOD.

The project is expected to be completed in July. Kraus Gruppe, Peri 3D Construction, SSV Architekten and other companies are participating in the project. The building was commissioned by Heidelberg IT Management.