Arup and CLS Architects have unveiled a new 3D-printed house in central Milan, Italy, printed on-site by a portable robot.

Located in the grand Piazza Cesare Beccaria, the 3D Housing 05 concrete house increases efficiencies at the time of the building process and allows reuse of materials at the end of the building’s life.

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Covering an area of 100m², the one-storey 3D-printed house is made up of 35 modules, has curved walls and features a living area, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.

It can also be taken apart and reassembled elsewhere. A robotic manipulator mounted on a movable base was used for the project.

“We’ve shown with this building that 3D printing technology is now advanced enough to take on more complex structures.”

Arup Europe materials consulting lead Guglielmo Carra said: “We need to make a major shift in the way the construction industry operates, away from today’s ‘make, use, dispose’ mentality.

“We’ve shown with this building that 3D printing technology is now advanced enough to take on more complex structures, and design buildings to be repurposed or reused at the end of their life.”

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CyBe Construction provided the robot to print the walls. The roof, windows and doors were completed later on.

Cement supplier Italcementi provided advice for the base concrete mix that was used during the printing operations.

Arup Italy building practice leader Luca Stabile said: “Robots are opening up a number of possibilities for realising the next generation of advanced buildings.

“Digital tools combined with new technologies will enable the production of custom-made shapes that cannot be produced otherwise.”