Kingston-based company building new sector in housing construction industry

The first-ever two-storey building with a 3D-printed basement is under construction at Division Street and Adelaide Street in Kingston by nidus3D, a Kingston-based 3D Construction Printing company.

According to Jay Sachdev, the company’s spokesperson, by using 3D construction printing (3DCP), nidus3D is able to create climate-resilient homes at significant savings in time, labour, and cost when compared to a traditional build.

“Concrete and masonry homes can withstand the extreme weather events that are becoming more and more common,” noted Sachdev. “Thanks to 3DCP, we can build these significantly more affordably than through legacy-construction approaches.”

The current housing shortage is a national-scale crisis. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has calculated that Canada needs to build 22 million housing units by 2030, with the Ontario demand making up more than half of this number. Meanwhile, the Canadian construction sector is facing challenges like labour shortages that further strain the sector’s ability to meet that demand. The need for new housing can be met more efficiently, claims nidus3D, by using technology to simplify and streamline construction. 

“nidus3D is driven by the mission of increasing access to housing, and we’re honoured to have the chance to work with incredible partners who share that vision,” said Ian Arthur, Founder and President of nidus3D. “We are always focused on the next build. Each build is an opportunity to refine and demonstrate this game-changing technology. Each project is proof of concept for other developments, which further increases efficiency in how we build.”

Beyond Kingston, nidus3D has also partnered with Habitat for Humanity in Leamington/Windsor-Essex and with the University of Windsor to print Canada’s first residential, 3D-printed, multi-unit building. The four self-contained 560-square-foot homes were printed over approximately 200 hours in May 2022.

Leamington’s building was a proof of concept for future projects, said Sachdev, noting that nidus3D aims to demonstrate that 3DCP is a crucial tool for projects with a limited footprint, as in urban areas. “We applied lessons learned at Leamington to subsequent builds — the first 3D-printed multi-storey studio on Wolfe Island, and the Water Snake, a public art installation coming to Kingston. We will continue to learn and refine with each new project.”

The building at Division and Adelaide is not only the first 3D-printed basement plus two storeys in Canada, but the first in all of North America, and is garnering attention in the construction sector.

“The interest in 3DCP has been amazing, and our COBOD Bod 2 printer – the world’s leading construction robots in 3D construction printing solutions – is booked through next year,” Sachdev said. “We are adding a printer and bringing on new crews to meet demand. As the exclusive distributor of COBOD printers in Canada, we are actively working with several groups interested in working with 3DCP to increase the impact this technology can have here in Canada.”

For more information on nidus3D’s work and future projects, visit: https://nidus3d.com.