The city of Heidelberg opened Europe’s largest 3D-printed building so far. PERI 3D Construction and KRAUSGRUPPE collaborated on this project, which is a data center named Wave House.
Additionally, the building is one of the first and largest industrial buildings globally made with 3D construction printing technology. Its dimensions span 600 square meters, with 54 meters in length, 11 meters in width, and 9 meters in height. These dimensions were achieved with the walls printed in just 140 hours.
” We are very proud to have realized our largest building to date with this project. Not only because of the size of it, but in particular due to the special shape and the parametric design used, which documents the immense design freedom of COBOD’s technology”. said, Dr Fabian Meyer-Brötz, managing director of PERI 3D Construction.
Economic Viability and Design Innovation
“I cannot tell you what it would cost if we had made the data centre conventional. 3D construction printing made this project economically viable”. said Hans-Jörg Kraus, the managing partner of KRAUS GRUPPE Heidelberg.
Data centres, often dull and uninspiring due to the typical absence of windows and large openings, have become a concern as they move closer to suburban areas and cities, necessitating more visually appealing designs. In the Heidelberg project, architects SSV and Mense Korte addressed this challenge by using 3D construction printing technology to create wave-designed walls, a feature that conventional methods couldn’t achieve, thus giving the building its name.
“This data center stands as a testament to the advanced capabilities of COBOD’s technology, demonstrating our technology’s possibility of delivering not just residential buildings but also multi-story buildings and complex structures, including office spaces, warehouses, and data centers,” states Henrik Lund-Nielsen, Founder and General Manager of COBOD International.
