14Trees delivers largest 3D printed affordable housing project to date

Mvule Gardens: printing of phase 1 completed

Mvule Gardens: Africa's largest 3D printed affordable housing project

World's first 3D printed school opens in Malawi

World's first 3D printed school opens in Malawi

About Us

A lot of smart and disruptive construction innovations exist today but they remain in the labs of large companies or start ups. Our mission is to take these innovations to the field, optimize them, and scale them up. So that more African families can live, work and study in more decent, sustainable and affordable buildings.

14Trees is a joint venture company between Holcim, a global leader in sustainable construction solutions, and British International Investment, the UK Government's impact investor.  

Introducing Construction 3D Printing in Africa

14Trees pionneered in the introduction of Construction 3D printing in Africa. We delivered the first 3D printed house in Africa, and the first 3D printed school in the World.
We printed the walls in 12 and 18 hours respectively.

 

  • Faster construction
    Walls can be printed in 12 to 18 hours, allowing the fast execution of construction projects
  • Environmental footprint reduction
    CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 70% when compared to the conventional construction methods
  • Affordability
    Construction 3D printing can deliver up to 20% savings on construction costs

Mvule Gardens by 14Trees

  • Phase 1 of 10 houses was printed in Kilifi, Kenya, with a total of 52 houses to be 3D printed
  • Each phase will introduce innovations towards greater affordability and environmental performance 
  • Show house open for visits in Nairobi
  • IFC-EDGE Advanced Green Certification obtained

What we do

3D printing of homes

We build affordable homes in Africa, using our 3D printing technology and Holcim's TectorPrint ink. We adapt our designs to customers' needs and ensure that those houses are affordable and deliver better environmental performance. 

3D printing of schools

We have built the first 3D printed school in the World. And the second as well. We have developed a broad range of school designs that are suited for eco-friendly and user-friendly school construction. 

Green bricks and blocks (Malawi)

In Malawi, we are the largest producer of our innovative soil stabilized bricks, Durabric and a producer of concrete blocks. We produce and build homes and schools using those low carbon products. 

14Trees in Pictures

World's first 3D printed school
Our 3D printed in action

Our 3D printed delivering the Africa's first 3D printed house

Africa's first 3D printed house
High quality individual homes

A house built with our solution DURABRIC with Habitat for Humanity in Malawi. 

Opening of Durabric Plant

Our mobile plant producing Durabric in rural areas of Malawi

Mvule Gardens in Kilifi, Kenya

Aerial view of Phase 1 completion

On site with our 3D printing assistants

 

They speak about us

Contact Us

Are you a customer?

Would like one of our houses built, or more information on our affordable housing products and services? We are happy to help. 

Are you a contractor, an NGO, or a company looking to partner with us?

Collaboration is the key for innovation, we currently collaborate with some of the best NGOs, contractors and service providers operating in Africa and alway keen to partner with more. 

Would you like to work for 14Trees in Africa?

We are constantly looking for talentent people to join our team, and service our ever growing demand for affordable construction solutions. 

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  • About 14Trees

    14Trees is focused on building affordable houses, schools and social infrastructures in Africa.
    It was set up with the aim to accelerate the production and commercialization of environmentally-friendly, affordable construction solutions in Africa.
    14Trees benefits from the expertise of Holcim’s R&D centre, the world’s leading building materials research centre, to accelerate the use of environmentally friendly solutions such as Durabric© and 3D printing.

  • About Holcim

    As a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, Holcim is enabling greener cities, smarter infrastructure and improving living standards around the world. With sustainability at the core of its strategy Holcim is becoming a net zero company, with its people and communities at the heart of its success. The company is driving the circular economy as a world leader in recycling to build more with less. Holcim is the company behind some of the world’s most trusted brands in the building sector including ACC, Aggregate Industries, Ambuja Cement, Disensa, Firestone Building Products, Geocycle, Holcim and Lafarge.

  • About CDC

    Established in 1948, CDC are the UK's development finance institution with the mission to support the building of businesses throughout Africa and South Asia, to create jobs, and to make a lasting difference to people’s lives in some of the world’s poorest places.

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