Irish Mining and Quarrying Review 2024

Printing has concluded on Ireland’s first 3D concrete printed social housing scheme for Louth County Council in partnership with Roadstone and Harcourt Technologies Ltd.

The Grange Close project is a groundbreaking housing initiative that combines 3D printing technology (3DCP) with traditional building materials to create more efficient, affordable, and sustainable housing. This pilot project, located in Dundalk, involves collaboration between Louth County Council, Louth and Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB), Harcourt Technologies Ltd (HTL.tech), and Roadstone Ltd, a CRH company. It features three three-bedroom terraced units built using 3D construction printing (3DCP) technology with Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC), resulting in a construction process that is up to three times faster than traditional methods and aims to reduce overall project timelines by 25%.

The project showcases an innovative approach to Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), combining 3D printing with prefabricated components like windows and doors. The first of its kind globally to integrate 3DCP with RMC, it also uses a low-carbon concrete mix developed by Roadstone, reducing carbon emissions by 278 kg CO2e/m3.

This collaboration aims to revolutionize housing production in Ireland by providing a faster, cost-effective, and environmentally conscious construction method. The Grange Close scheme serves as a regulatory-compliant model, paving the way for the scalability of 3DCP technology in the country's housing sector.

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