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Heidelberg unveils first 3D-printed homes with carbon-captured cement

By Richard High, 17 October, 2025
A green, Heidelberg Materials' cement truck in front of an under construction house The DREIHAUS project under construction in Heidelberg will be Germany’s first residential 3D-printed development using Heidelberg Materials’ evoZero carbon-captured cement. (Image: Heidelberg Materials)

A collaboration between PERI 3D Construction, Heidelberg Materials, Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck and Krausgruppe is reshaping Germany’s housing sector. The DREIHAUS project in Heidelberg marks the first large-scale, serial 3D-printed residential development to use Heidelberg Materials’ evoZero carbon-captured cement.

Designed as a scalable, three-storey apartment building available in three sizes (S, M and L), DREIHAUS has been optimised for 3D printing. The first two buildings are being printed with evoBuild, a recyclable construction material with over 50% lower embodied carbon than conventional cement. The third building will use evoZero – the world’s first carbon-captured cement, produced at Heidelberg Materials’ Brevik plant in Norway and permanently stored under the seabed.

PERI’s automated 3D system uses a two- to three-person crew to print one square metre of wall in about five minutes. “The walls of the largest apartment building were constructed in just 26 working days,” said Dr Fabian Meyer-Brötz, managing director at PERI 3D Construction. “While one half is being printed, the ceiling is already being concreted in the other, allowing the buildings to grow rapidly in height.”

The concept is expected to be 30% faster and 10% more cost-effective than traditional methods. “DREIHAUS can now be implemented as often as desired by any construction company wanting to start with 3D concrete printing,” he said.

An Aerial view of the DREIHAUS project site in Heidelberg, where three 3D-printed apartment buildings are being constructed using Heidelberg Materials’ low-carbon evoBuild and evoZero cements, with a red tower crane and green, Heidelberg cement mixer. (Image: Heidelberg Materials) Aerial view of the DREIHAUS project site in Heidelberg, where three 3D-printed apartment buildings are being constructed using Heidelberg Materials’ low-carbon evoBuild and evoZero cements. (Image: Heidelberg Materials)

Dr Dominik von Achten, CEO of Heidelberg Materials, said: “With the German premiere of evoZero, we are heralding a new era of sustainable construction in Heidelberg.”

Christian Schwörer, CEO of the PERI Group, added: “DREIHAUS shows that serial 3D housing construction in Germany is not just a vision for the future, but can be implemented immediately.”

Architectural input was provided by SSV Architekten, with Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck responsible for planning and printing. Co-founders Waldemar Korte and Alexander Hoffmann said: “DREIHAUS is a fully planned, scalable concept for a three-storey apartment building, 30% faster and 10% cheaper than a conventional build.”

Completion is expected by early summer 2026, with the first apartments operated by MyStay Scherer as serviced “HEI³ Apartments” for short-term business and leisure stays.

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