THE BLOCK
TREE CHANGE

Contour3D produces the first 3D printed building in the Southern Hemisphere on The Block Tree Change

Hours to build

Tonnes of Contourcrete™

Building size (SQM)

After several years of development building a printer and perfecting the mortar mix, the team from Contour3D recently travelled to the Macedon Ranges in Victoria to take on their biggest challenge yet – printing a building in the wild.

“Everything we had done up to this point had been inside our factory, so it was a daunting prospect to say the least” says Contour3D™ founder Nick Holden. “We had written the software and done the math and tested everything in the factory, but going out to print a building under the glare of TV cameras was a make or break scenario.”

Contour3D™ was invited to produce a pool cabana structure for the homestead being renovated on this year’s series by The Block’s host Scott Cam. “I’ve been a builder for over 40 years now” says Scott, “so I have seen a lot of changes in that time, but this really blew me away. I have no doubt that this will be the future of building.”

The Block’s resident architect Julian Brenchley, from Group Architects, was brought in to oversee the design of the 3D printed cabana. “I wanted to follow explore the possibilities for 3D printing…” says Julian Brenchley. “So we went all out with the forms that are possible with this new technology. For instance, we decided to print the shower area in the round. Not only did it create a beautiful bathroom but really shows how 3D printing can produce structures that would be enormously expensive and time consuming using traditional building methods.”

“I am enormously proud of the team. As a ‘proof of concept’ this project has really justified the years of hard work we have all put into it.”

Nick Holden,
Founder – Contour3D™

The environment on this year’s series The Block proved to be one of the biggest challenges. The Macedon Ranges was experiencing one of the toughest Winters in a generation. Consequently, the Contour3D™ team found themselves working through everything from driving rain to snow. “This project really tested us on every level…” says Nick Holden. “And I am enormously proud of the team. As a ‘proof of concept’ this project has really justified the years of hard work we have all put into it.”

The Block’s Executive Producer, Julian Cress said: “We always aim to showcase the latest trends in building materials and construction on the show, but this is next level stuff. It was enormously exciting for everyone to see this building come to life before their eyes. I think it will resonate the same way with the audience at home. Nick and his team at Contour3D™ are true pioneers in this area. I’m delighted that they were willing to take on this challenge. The results are incredible.”