A Construction Revolution in the Metro

The Construction Site of the Future Is Already Here

Moscow is preparing to launch pilot testing of an innovative concrete 3D-printing technology. At the Rublevo-Arkhangelskoye station, currently under construction on the Moscow Metro line of the same name, a pilot project has begun to trial a construction-grade 3D printer called CemANT, developed by the Nizhny Novgorod-based company Parc3D. The initiative is being led by the Moscow Innovation Cluster, the Moscow Department of Urban Development Policy, and the systemically important engineering holding Mosinzhproekt. The goal goes beyond testing equipment and focuses on evaluating the real-world potential of the technology in large construction projects, including build speed, cost structure, and logistics.

“Cement Ants” Get to Work

CemANT is an integrated hardware-and-software 3D-printing system designed for automated building construction. Its core components are compact, mobile, and relatively low-cost units known as “cement ants.” Each unit can operate around the clock, printing walls using concrete mixtures prepared directly at the point of placement. This eliminates the need for bulky concrete mixers and pumping systems, significantly simplifying logistics, reducing labor requirements, and minimizing material waste.

Concrete mixing takes place directly inside the extruder, making it easy to add various admixtures, including fire-resistant, frost-resistant, or fast-setting compounds. In an eight-hour shift, a single unit can lay a volume equivalent to 150 aerated concrete blocks, while one operator can manage up to five printers simultaneously. According to the developers, the speed of erecting basic structural shells is three to five times higher than with conventional methods, with resource savings of 20 to 30 percent.

Each printer weighs just 450 kilograms, allowing it to be installed not only on foundations but also on floor slabs. This enables the printing of multi-story structures and internal partitions. Equipment setup takes no more than one hour, while the full deployment cycle, from delivery to the start of printing, ranges from one to five days. All devices are controlled from a single operations center that automatically redistributes tasks if individual modules fail.

A BRICS Solutions Award-Winning Technology

The pilot phase will run through April 2026. Based on the results, specialists will prepare recommendations on whether the technology can be scaled to other transport and civil construction projects. If its technical and economic efficiency is confirmed, concrete 3D printing could be incorporated into official design and construction standards, including national building codes and technical regulations. This would open the door to its use not only in metro construction, but also in bridges, tunnels, residential developments, and industrial facilities.

Without serious efforts in this area, we simply will not be physically capable of developing at the pace we have already reached. Building construction using 3D printing represents a major opportunity for us and a real response to the challenges facing the construction industry. Around ten manufacturers of construction 3D printers are already operating in this field, and the goals they are setting are ambitious, reaching millions of square meters by 2030. In my view, this is the only path that will allow us to address labor shortages and ensure continued growth of the sector

Sergey Muzychenko

Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation

The development also has significant export potential. In the summer of last year, the CemANT project became a winner of the international BRICS Solutions Award, opening access to global scaling opportunities, including financing, mentorship, partnerships, and international infrastructure.

International Experience

Concrete 3D printing has long moved beyond the realm of futuristic concepts and is now actively used worldwide in residential, commercial, and infrastructure construction. China’s WinSun was among the industry pioneers, printing entire houses and office buildings using large-format printers and sharply reducing both costs and construction timelines. In 2016, Dubai completed the Office of the Future project, the world’s first fully 3D-printed office building, with a floor area of about 250 square meters, constructed in just 17 days. In the Netherlands, Eindhoven is hosting the first commercial project for 3D-printed residential housing aimed at mass deployment. In Germany, COBOD is involved in multi-apartment construction projects, including the Dreihaus development.

Russia Builds Its Own Additive Construction Ecosystem

In Russia, the technology has been developing since 2018. Additive construction centers have been established in Novosibirsk, Yaroslavl, and Perm, while a long-term program at the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering running through 2036 has made 3D printing one of its flagship initiatives.

Pilot projects in the Moscow region, Kazan, and Krasnodar already demonstrate construction timelines reduced by a factor of three and material cost savings of up to 50 percent.

In 2024, in the village of Aisha in Tatarstan’s Zelenodolsky district, an entire residential complex was built using 3D printing for the first time in Russia. The project included more than 30 single-story cottages, each with a floor area of 80 square meters and individual heating systems. Thanks to 3D printing, construction of a single-story home takes just 21 days. The expected service life of these structures ranges from 80 to 120 years. The homes were built using the S-300 construction 3D printer developed and manufactured by a company based in Yaroslavl. The build volume of these systems reaches 11 by 11 by 4 meters.

This is far from the only example. In the fall of 2024, a two-story 3D-printed house with a floor area of 198 square meters and a service life of up to 150 years was completed in the Moscow region. In the spring of 2025, an 80-square-meter house was printed in Lyubertsy in just 36 hours, a modular laboratory was built in Kazan, and utility buildings were printed in Krasnodar.

Forecasts suggest that by 2036, up to 10 percent of housing in Russia could be built using 3D printing. This is a response to labor shortages and rising construction material prices, offering savings of 30 to 50 percent in labor and resources.

Another critical point is that construction relies exclusively on 3D printers manufactured in Russia. Today, more than ten domestic producers of construction 3D printers are operating nationwide.

Russia ranks among the world’s top three leaders in additive construction research. Based on citation metrics, the leading trio includes the United States, China, and Russia. These are the countries whose scientific output is most in demand and contributes meaningfully to the global market for construction additive technologies. This position has been made possible by practical experience accumulated by industry professionals, sectoral associations, printer manufacturers, and materials suppliers that actively deploy the technology at real construction sites.

A Solid Foundation for a New Russian Technology Platform

The pilot project at Rublevo-Arkhangelskoye is not merely a technical trial, but a strategic step toward digitizing the entire construction sector. It could serve as a starting point for building a new Russian technology platform that combines import substitution, innovation, and export potential. As it has many times before, Moscow is setting the direction, this time in the era of a construction revolution.