WASP’s construction-focused startupWASP 3D Buildhas completed the 3D printing of the walls for Itaca, a self-sufficient home billed as Italy’s first certified 3D printed construction.

Located at theShamballa open air laboratoryin the hills of Northern Italy, the structure complies with Italian and European construction regulations, including earthquake resistance standards.

For 3D printed construction, regulatory approval has consistently proved harder to secure than the actual fabrication. Multiple pilot projects have gone up across Europe, yet full compliance with national building codes remains limited, particularly in seismically active areas.

To that end, Italy operates under a comprehensive set of earthquake standards that place structural performance under close scrutiny during certification. Meeting those requirements suggests the structural approach used in Itaca aligns with the regulatory thresholds governing permanent construction under current seismic rules.

“Getting a place as harsh as the moon to be inhabited is hard to imagine, but science says it can be done. Why don’t we apply the same technologies here on Earth, to get even the most extreme environments to be hospitable?” said, Massimo Moretti, Founder of WASP.

Building a certified 3D printed structure

The walls were printed using a new configuration of the Crane WASP system, with four robotic arms positioned at the vertices of a hexagonal structure to simultaneously produce four wall sections.

Together, the system can complete the structural shell in about two days, with each wall requiring approximately 24 hours to print. The structure spans 164.9 m², with walls rising 3.8 m and measuring 60-70 cm in thickness.

The building’s geometry is based on a square inscribed within a circle, with four main walls positioned at the square’s corners and a central opening on each side.

For the structural material, the startup used a lime-based mixture without concrete, citing its lower carbon emissions compared to traditional cement and its breathability, which supports moisture regulation and helps prevent mold. Reinforcement columns are planned within the wall infills to enhance structural integrity, meet seismic requirements, and support a planned green roof.

Source: 3D Printing Industry