Danes rebuild Ukrainian nursery school with 3D printing

Denmark has pledged to help rebuild Ukraine, and as recently as January, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasised that there is still much to be done.

That is why a group of Danish engineers and architects will travel to Ukraine in April to 3D print a nursery school.

The group—3DCP Group—will bring a team of three, taking their own 3D printer with them. In no more than six weeks, the group will have 3D printed a 270 m2 nursery school in high-strength concrete.

“We immediately said yes to the task, as it is a very good opportunity to demonstrate the technology’s potential, which is well suited to construction in general and especially to rebuilding after disasters, as you can erect high-quality buildings in record time and thus build cities in months rather than years. But above all, it is a good-karma project, where we have the opportunity to make a positive difference for a people and a country in need,” says Mikkel Brich, one of the founders of 3DCP Group.

3DCP Group is a two-year-old association of engineers, construction engineers, architects and printing experts who want to build better, faster, cheaper and greener housing using 3D printing technology.

3DCP Group was contacted by TEAM4UA, a humanitarian organisation with the aim of putting the technology to use in Ukraine’s emergency preparedness—here with a particular focus on rebuilding homes, schools and infrastructure.

“TEAM4UA had identified 3D printing because, as a construction method, the technology is very fast, high quality, and delivers strong, solid buildings. And they called us because we are among the best; we have control of the materials side, where we are the only ones printing with a material that makes it possible to construct the building with a CO2 footprint of less than 5 kg CO2 per m2 per year,” explains Mikkel Brich, adding that new buildings may emit no more than 12 kg CO2 in a year.

At Dansk AM Hub, the work is precisely to make Denmark a world leader in using Additive Manufacturing (AM)—also known as industrial 3D printing—for more sustainable production, where less material, less waste, less transport and less CO2 emissions are involved. The latter is particularly relevant as the construction sector today accounts for 40% of global emissions. That is why Dansk AM Hub also supports the project and contributes both financial support and advisory services.

“First and foremost, we are proud that Danish expertise is being put to use in a necessary and important humanitarian effort for the Ukrainian people, and especially for Ukrainian children’s living conditions and everyday life,” says Frank Rosengreen Lorenzen, CEO of Dansk AM Hub:

“And here, AM technology offers flexibility, speed and the opportunity to build more sustainably, which is highly relevant to the situation Ukraine is facing. In Denmark, we have a strong position when it comes to putting our small green nation on the world map with sustainable construction, and at home we should be proud that people abroad look to us in precisely these situations.”

The group has already built a 37 m2 3D-printed house in Holstebro, which is currently the largest 3D-printed construction project in Scandinavia, and which is also the site where 3DCP Group will build the world’s largest 3D-printed construction project in 2024. In addition, several other international projects are planned, including in Guatemala.

Facts about the construction project

• The nursery school’s total area will be 270 square metres.
• The 3D-printed buildings will make up around 230 m2.
• In addition to the concrete for the 3D-printed buildings, materials such as glass and wood will also be used.
• The nursery school will have four ‘classrooms’ of around 40 m2, as well as an administration office.
• The project will be built in the city of Lviv—the largest city in western Ukraine and the sixth-largest city in the country.