DREIHAUS in Heidelberg: Serial 3D-printed residential buildings enter practical use

With the DREIHAUS project, a new type of building has been unveiled in Heidelberg that elevates 3D printing in residential construction to an industrial level. On the site of the former Campbell Barracks, a three-part apartment complex is being built entirely using 3D printing – just in time for the 60th anniversary of the Heidelberg-based Kraus Group. The project aims to accelerate construction, reduce costs, and lower CO₂ emissions.

The project is being realized by a consortium consisting of PERI 3D Construction, Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck, Heidelberg Materials, and SSV Architekten. Using PERI’s 3D printing system, wall structures are produced automatically and within a very short time.

“The 3D printer automatically follows pre-programmed paths and prints about one square meter of wall in roughly five minutes. This means that the walls of the largest apartment building were completed in just 26 working days,” explains Dr. Fabian Meyer-Brötz, Managing Director of PERI 3D Construction GmbH.

“DREIHAUS brings together everything we’ve learned from our 17 completed 3D printing projects so far. It’s about well-thought-out, 3D-print-optimized floor plans and the seamless integration of printing into the entire construction workflow. Each DREIHAUS is divided into two segments: while one half is being printed, the ceiling is already being cast on the other. This allows the apartment buildings to rise incredibly fast.”

Compared to conventional construction methods, DREIHAUS can be completed 30% faster and 10% more cost-effectively. These figures will be validated in practice after the project’s completion. DREIHAUS can already be replicated by any construction company entering the field of 3D concrete printing. “With DREIHAUS, we’re opening a new path for serial construction directly on-site. Only through standardization, efficiency, and reproducibility can we meet Germany’s demand for affordable housing. With DREIHAUS, 3D-printed housing goes into series production,” adds Dr. Meyer-Brötz.

DREIHAUS is based on a fully predesigned, 3D-print-optimized building concept. The modular designs are scalable and tailored for serial production. According to Korte and Hoffmann, the buildings are completed about 30% faster and roughly 10% cheaper than comparable conventional constructions.

“At Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck, we are proud to have developed a concept with our partners that enables affordable, sustainable, and architecturally high-quality housing in record time. What makes DREIHAUS unique is its fully pre-engineered, scalable building concept for a three-story apartment complex – available in three sizes (S, M, and L) with six to twelve units ranging from 46 to 89 square meters. It’s completed 30% faster and 10% cheaper than a traditional apartment building,” say Waldemar Korte and Alexander Hoffmann of Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck.

“Our vision doesn’t stop at design. Starting in 2026, we will act as developers for DREIHAUS projects ourselves, taking the next crucial step by assuming responsibility not just for design and planning but also for creating urgently needed housing.”

“For the KRAUS Group, we also made several adjustments to the DREIHAUS Basic model in a joint venture with Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck to meet the client’s specific requirements,” adds Jan van der Velden-Volkmann of SSV Architekten.

“With the German premiere of evoZero – the world’s first net-zero cement produced through carbon capture and storage – we are ushering in a new era of sustainable construction in Heidelberg,” says Dr. Dominik von Achten, CEO of Heidelberg Materials. “Alongside the innovative DREIHAUS project, we have already realized Europe’s largest 3D-printed building together with the KRAUS Group and PERI 3D Construction.”

A novel building material is also being used: Heidelberg Materials supplies evoBuild 3D printing concrete, which features a significantly reduced CO₂ footprint. In the third construction phase, the carbon-capture cement evoZero will be used for the first time in Germany. Its emissions are compensated through carbon capture and storage on the ocean floor.

“As part of the PERI Group, we see 3D concrete printing as a key technology for the next generation of construction. With DREIHAUS, we demonstrate how residential buildings can be realized faster, more efficiently, and with high quality. For PERI, DREIHAUS is not just another project milestone—it’s a symbolic breakthrough showing that serial 3D-printed housing is no longer a vision of the future, but a practical reality for the German market,” says Christian Schwörer, CEO of the PERI Group.

By 2026, the buildings will be completed as a boarding house under the name “HEI³ Apartments.” For PERI and its partners, DREIHAUS serves as proof that serial residential construction using 3D printing technology is no longer experimental but a viable, cost-efficient, and climate-friendly option for housing development in Germany.