Vienna Researchers Cut Concrete Use by Two-Thirds With 3D Printing

Austria-based university FH Campus Wien has completed a five-year research project demonstrating that concrete components can be 3D printed using up to two-thirds less material than conventional construction, without sacrificing load-bearing capacity. The project, called C3PO, Concrete! 3D Printed Objects, ran from August 1, 2021, to July 31, 2026, and was funded by the City of Vienna’s Business, Labor and Statistics department (MA 23) through the university’s Research Center for Building and Design and its High Tech Manufacturing degree program.

Inside the robot system

The project set out to cut material use while keeping construction affordable and environmentally sound. To do that, researchers built a dedicated concrete 3D printing system at the university’s High Tech Campus, centered