Western Australia has reached a national milestone in construction innovation, with Contec Australia completing the country’s first multi-storey 3D printed concrete home, and the first project of its kind in Perth. Contec Australia, WA’s only operational 3D concrete printing company, used mobile robotic technology to print the full structural walls of the Tapping home in just 18 hours of active printing time. The entire two-storey build – from slab to completion – was delivered in only five months.
With WA facing ongoing labour shortages and rising construction costs, this innovation shows how automated 3D concrete printing can offer a practical, scalable solution. The technology provides greater speed, precision, and design flexibility while reducing cost and waste.
“Meeting future housing demand will require more than traditional approaches alone,” said Contec founder Mark D’Alessandro. “3D concrete printing offers an innovative solution that complements existing methods, delivering projects with greater speed, cost efficiencies, sustainability, and design flexibility.”
Contec’s specialised concrete mix prints walls layer by layer, without the need for formwork or scaffolding. The mix is self-supporting, sets hard in under three minutes, and reaches 50MPa, more than three times the strength of standard bricks (15MPa). The walls are cyclone rated, thermally efficient, termite proof, and both fire and water resistant making them a strong fit for WA’s metro and regional conditions.
Contec’s mobile robotic printer automates the construction process, eliminating manual handling and ensuring accuracy. Compact and agile, comparable in size to a forklift – the machine can operate on-site or off-site, requires minimal setup, and is suited to constrained sites.
Printing at 500mm per second, it also significantly reduces construction timelines. The structural walls of the Tapping project were completed in just 18 hours of active printing, with the full build delivered in five months.
3D printing delivers a number of cost advantages over traditional methods. Formwork, propping and scaffolding are eliminated, while intricate designs, including curves and patterns are achieved at no additional cost. Material waste is also minimised due to the accuracy of the digital process. Curved walls, structural columns and architectural detailing can be printed directly into walls without formwork. Conduits and openings are integrated during printing, eliminating the need for retrofitting and further enhancing efficiency.
“Our proprietary concrete mix also generates 30% less CO₂ than conventional concrete,” Mark D’Alessandro added. “Each print produces only one wheelbarrow of waste, compared to over 85% more waste from traditional concrete methods.”
“In-situ printing also enhances site safety by reducing manual labour and transport. Printed structures offer thermal efficiency, acoustic performance, and are cyclone rated, termite resistant, fire and water resistant, making them highly durable and suited to Australia’s harsh conditions,” he said.
Mark is a qualified builder and quantity surveyor with nearly 20 years of experience delivering residential, commercial, and high-rise developments across WA. He also leads JCM Property Group, a full-service commercial construction company. Mark’s background ensures that 3D concrete printing is not only innovative, but compliant, buildable, and aligned with industry standards.
“With firsthand experience in the construction industry, we understand the challenges the sector faces. Our delivery method provides a compliant and efficient alternative to support the timely, cost-efficient, and scalable delivery of housing and critical infrastructure in WA.”
For more information, visit: www.contecaustralia.com