Denmark Completes Europe’s Largest 3D-Printed Housing Project

A community of 36 student apartments in Holstebro, Denmark, has been completed in what its developers describe as Europe’s largest 3D-printed housing project. Called Skovsporet, the development was created by SAGA Space Architects in collaboration with 3DCP and COBOD. It was commissioned by an affordable housing organization for a nearby university campus. The apartments are distributed among six single-story buildings arranged around shared courtyards, gardens, paths and bicycle parking. According to New Atlas, about 90% of the trees on the wooded site were preserved during construction. A COBOD BOD3 printer produced the basic structures by extruding a cement-like material in layers. Three people were needed on site to monitor the printing process. Work on the first six-apartment building took several weeks, while printing the final building was completed in five days. The printer did not produce finished homes by itself. After the concrete shells were completed, human builders installed roofs, doors, windows, furniture and other elements needed to make the apartments habitable. The full project, including both the automated printing and conventional construction, took 12 months. Each residence measures between 40 and 50 square meters and includes a kitchen, study area, lounge, bathroom and sleeping space. Large windows and skylights provide daylight, while wood and cork details were used alongside the ribbed concrete surfaces created by the layered printing process. Some sleeping areas are raised, leaving room for a study area underneath. SAGA co-founder and lead architect Sebastian Aristotelis described the project as a move beyond small-scale demonstrations toward using 3D printing for a complete residential community. The firm said the development remained within a strict cost framework for social housing, though no budget was disclosed. Students are expected to move into the apartments in the coming weeks. SAGA Space Architects said it plans to apply lessons from Skovsporet to future projects as 3D-printed construction develops.