And finally… Ctrl+P for country living
Bielby in East Yorkshire is set to become home to the UK’s first 3D-printed private home, following the submission of a planning application by Define Architects, in what could be a milestone for the construction industry’s adoption of large-scale additive manufacturing.
The proposed home, called Speckled Wood, has been designed for a local family and is being brought forward under Paragraph 84e planning rules, which allow for exceptional, innovative designs in the countryside.
The project team also includes Hollistic Planning, Harcourt Technologies, The Landscape Agency, and Futures Ecology.
If approved, the scheme will use 3D-printed concrete produced on site by Harcourt Technologies.
The project would represent one of the most ambitious applications of the technology in the UK to date, and the first time a private home has been constructed in the country using large-format concrete printing.
HTL completed Ireland’s first 3D-printed micro social housing units earlier this year, and the Bielby project will extend the approach to low-density, bespoke rural housing.
Design-wise, Define Architects and HTL have co-developed a bespoke printhead to create distinctive textured finishes, which will remain exposed on the ground floor.
The architects shaped the building around the technical constraints and capabilities of the printing rig, resulting in three interlinked barn-like forms that reference local farmstead styles and Bielby village’s Viking heritage.
Click on any image to enlarge gallery
- The concrete will be left exposed on the ground floor
- The textured concrete design
- All images courtesy of Define Architects
The concrete printing process is expected to be completed in just 14 days across two print cycles, alongside lower carbon compared with traditional brick-and-block construction, lower material waste, and reduced labour requirements.
While the construction method is the project’s headline innovation, Define Architects emphasises that the scheme has been driven equally by long-term environmental stewardship considerations.
Over an 11-year period, the development is forecast to deliver a 54.5% net gain in habitat units and a 10.3% uplift in hedgerow units.
For an industry under pressure to increase housing supply while lowering embodied carbon, the Bielby scheme could provide a comprehensive real-world demonstration of how 3D-printed concrete might scale beyond pilot schemes and into mainstream delivery.
Gavin Watts, founding director of Define Architects, said: “Concrete has been a pioneering material for decades, central to many of the 20th century’s most iconic designs.
“In recent years, concrete has faced increasing scrutiny over its sustainability credentials.
“However, when approached innovatively by considering its recycled aggregate content, long-lifespan performance and rapid low-waste production, it can outperform other contemporary construction methods.
“Speckled Wood aims to demonstrate the positive role concrete can play as our industry continues its transition toward more sustainable practices.”
