A 3D concrete printer may solve Virginia’s housing crisis

The printer is able to build concrete walls much faster than humans, and can do so directly at job sites.

1 minute read

October 5, 2026, 5:00 AM PDT

By Zachary Whalen


A metal pipe deposits a line of concrete on top of dozens of other lines, creating a wall.

An example of a concrete printer. Virginia Tech University purchased its concrete printer with a $1.1 million grant from Virginia Housing. | sergey kolesnikov

In a warehouse in Virginia, a robotic arm with a specialized nozzle is printing concrete walls in just 45 minutes, A.J. Nwoko writes for CBS 6. While people mix the ingredients for the concrete, the printer can construct concrete walls much faster than humans can, and workers can bring the machine directly to job sites. 

CBS 6 reports:

"We need more housing to be built to meet present demand and to keep up with [the] future," [Virginia Housing Director of Strategic Housing Chris Thompson] said. "The technology is here; we can do this and now this is our first example of building this at scale and that's where we really need to be."

Virginia Tech University owns the mobile concrete printer, which was purchased using a $1.1 million grant from Virginia Housing. 

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 in CBS 6 Richmond

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