3D printing company builds German 'Wave House' in just 140 hours

A groundbreaking project has emerged in Heidelberg, Germany, which has welded architecture and technology together to create something that has never been done before. The nation has built Europe's largest 3D-printed building known as the Wave House, according to COBOD.

The new structure is reportedly a data center. The report mentioned that data centers are the backbone of today's digital world, but the buildings are often reduced to windowless buildings for security and operational reasons.

However, the push to bring these infrastructures into urban areas has forced designers to rethink their design approach. And it took COBOD just 140 hours to create the building using hands-free technology.

Fox News Digital reported that the Wave House "challenges the status quo with its visually arresting wave-designed walls — a feature that not only lends the building its name but also marks a significant departure from conventional data center aesthetics."

The primary way the Wave House has managed to raise the aesthetics of data centers is by making it into a wave structure, which was introduced by architects SSV and Mense Korte. Reports mentioned that the wave element to the building could not have been realized with traditional methods of building construction. Therefore, the designers decided to go with 3D-printed material.

Dr. Fabian Meyer-Brotz — managing director of PERI 3D Construction — said at the hand-over event: "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."

Hans-Jorg Kraus — the managing partner of KRAUS GRUPPE Heidelberg — also commented on the building, saying: "I cannot tell you what it would cost if we had made the data center conventionally. 3D construction printing made this project economically viable."

Found and General Manager of COBOD International, Henrik Lund-Nielsen shared his optimism, saying: “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."

The construction of the Wave House represents a significant advancement in the construction industry. Reports also noted that the Wave House marks a growing acceptance of 3D-printed architecture in mainstream applications.

COBOD — the company behind the technology — intends to automate at least 50 percent of building site processes moving forward. The company ensures efficiency gains and potentially restructuring the labor landscape in future construction.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!