The UK’s first 3D printed full-height earthen walls!
We are extremely proud to announce that we have produced the UK’s first 3D printed, full-height earthen walls, reaching over 2 meters tall.
These two beautiful structures are the culmination of months of hard work and dedication, overcoming numerous challenges along the way, by the amazing Earth Build Project team, and all the dedicated volunteers who have made such an important contribution to our journey this far.
Boughton Loam – Being a part of the solution
This Spring/Summer we partnered with Boughton Loam, a leading local soil supplier. We have been able to streamline our R&D process by integrating 3mm screened earth into our preparation process and eliminate the need to laboriously process excavated soil by ourselves.
This has been a game-changer for us in our R&D phase, providing a consistent, reliable product which allows us to develop our 3D printing process, trial a much bigger range of mixes, test out biopolymers, and introduce waste stream byproducts such as stone dust, into our trials.
Creative Minds Find Novel Solutions
Students in the Digital Craft in Architecture Masters programme at Oxford Brookes University have been collaborating with the Earth Build Project on some of our most challenging problems and finding creative solutions. This recently printed prototype wall build-up was designed by Ben Scott, one of 4 students working with us. It allows for an integrated window embrasure within the toolpath layers.
Our purely biomaterials mix reaches new heights
This month (May 2026) we successfully printed our tallest piece so far: a meter high sample wall build-up, as modelled here by our Digital Fabrication Lead, Kenneth Wilson Rozas! The piece represents a major milestone, confirming the robust nature of our purely biomaterial mix, and its ability to withstand its own weight while still wet.
Key Collabarations Expand Expertise
A project like this is heavily reliant on the knowledge and expertise of those who have far more collective experience than we do at this stage in our journey, and thanks are certainly due to two key institutions with whom we have been closely collaborating just lately, Cardiff University and the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC).
First Small Wall Build-Up Successfully Printed
One of the biggest achievements of all last summer was the printing of our first small wall build-up on the very last day of the summer print programme, achieved with the perseverance and dedication of the whole Earth Build Project team, but particularly Megan McGrattan who co-designed it with the help of Nestor Beguin from IAAC.
Key Collaborations Expand Expertise
A project like this is heavily reliant on the knowledge and expertise of those who have far more collective experience than we do at this stage in our journey, and thanks are certainly due to two key institutions with whom we have been closely collaborating just lately, Cardiff University and the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC).
Over 200 Samples Produced For Lab Testing
This summer (2025) the Earth Build Project team spent 11 intensive weeks generating more than 200 small-scale samples for testing in Cardiff University’s Duralab. It was hard graft and we faced daily challenges, but with the determination and dedication of the whole team, ably led by team leader, Megan McGrattan, we were able to print the 200 cubes, cylinders and prisms to the specified size required for the lab testing equipment.
Outdoor Research Facility Established
The team at the Earth Build Project were very excited to take delivery of our large-scale ABB robot in July earlier this year (2025), a giant step forward in being able to 3D print with earth at scale.