Mvule Gardens 

The largest 3D-printed affordable housing projects in the world, emphasising replicability and speed. The project is part of the ‘Green Heart of Kenya’ regenerative ecosystem, a model for inclusive and climate-resilient cities. The goal of the project is to build an affordable homes movement which will transform the lives of 100 million people in urban Africa and Asia by 2030, while creating qualified jobs, placing people on a development trajectory.

Habitability and Comfort

• Home ownership is a key principle for the project, providing homes designed in collaboration with future homeowners and the ability to grow with the new occupants.
• Large roof overhangs were designed in the front and the back of the house to provide shade and comfortable indoor temperatures, even on very hot days.

Community and Connectivity

• The neighbourhood offers gardens, common outdoor spaces and pedestrian pathways, promoting a safe and inclusive environment for children, women and elders in a landscape that enhances biodiversity.
• The project is bridging the country’s infrastructure gap while creating skilled local jobs, such as training locals to use 3D printers and recruiting locals on-site for the set-up of machines, site preparation and operation.

Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change

• Local construction habits were studied to come up with a design that was innovative, yet in harmony with local designs in coastal Kenya.
• The project is looking to prove the viability of climate-smart and innovative construction technology for the low-income housing bracket in a way that can be scaled and replicated.

Resource Efficiency and Circularity

• The walls of the house can be built at a record speed of 12 to 18 hours, allowing the fast execution of construction projects.
• Reduction in carbon emissions by up to 70%, and reduction of environmental footprint of each house by more than 50% compared to conventional methods, while minimising construction material use and waste production.
• Focused on accelerating three technologies: construction printing, durabric soil-stabilised bricks, and concrete formworks, offering a complete range of sustainable and affordable solutions.
• The project’s advanced sustainability profile won an IFC-EDGE Advanced sustainable design certification, which recognise resource-efficient and zero-carbon buildings.

Economic Accessibility

• 20% reduction in construction costs, allowing for affordability for people living on low incomes.
• Collaboration with credit cooperatives and local banks to arrange affordable finance for clients.
• Houses are below $30,000 USD, targeted for first time buyers and homeowners of income below $1,360 USD, the bottom 20-40% of the income pyramid.

Certification: 

EDGE Advanced Design Certification 

More information:

https://mvulegardens.com 

https://www.14trees.com 

https://www.holcim.com/who-we-are/our-stories/ largest-3D-printed-affordable-housing