Harcourt Technologies Ltd Manufacturing Facility Visit

Faster, Greener, Smarter: The Rise of 3D Printing in Construction

The second Skillnet MMC Accelerate event of 2025 brought attendees to one of the most exciting facilities in Irish construction – Harcourt Technologies Ltd.’s (HTL) R&D facility in Drogheda, Co. Louth. Speakers presented on key aspects of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) while attendees were treated to an exclusive site tour to see HTL’s advances in 3D concrete printing and a live demonstration. 

Speakers included stakeholders from government, industry, and education committed to residential development in Ireland: Deputy Erin McGreehan, Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and TD for Louth; Martin O’Brien, Chief Executive Officer for the Louth and Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB); Thomas Holden, National Technical Manager at Roadstone; and Jandré Oosthuizen, Director of Materials & 3DCP Operations at HTL. 

Dr. Alan Hore, Director of CitA and Co-Lead of Skillnet MMC Accelerate, opened the event. He addressed how we need to strengthen the talent development ecosystem around MMC by supercharging housing development, and attract and train a more digitally savvy and future-ready workforce to the construction industry in Ireland. 

In the opening address, Deputy Erin McGreehan commented on the exciting opportunities for Louth of having innovative companies and educational institutions in the county invested in progressing the construction sector. She also discussed the need for government, industry, and education to work together to create a dynamic environment for the industry in Louth and beyond. 

After Deputy Erin McGreehan, the CEO for the LMETB, Martin O’Brien, took to the stage. He recounted the tough economic conditions faced by Louth in past years, noting that investment in education and industry in the county offers young people and building professionals alike the opportunity to enter a revitalised construction industry. He added the key role that the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre of Excellence (AMTCE) had to play in giving people the chance to build future-ready skillsets. 

Next was Thomas Holden, Roadstone’s National Technical Manager – Concrete Products. With 30+ years’ experience working with concrete, he informed attendees about the scientific process of developing concrete products with varying physical properties for different construction applications. He then discussed how Roadstone first worked with HTL and his training at the AMTCE, before elaborating on the research Roadstone undertook with HTL to develop a bespoke concrete mix for 3D printing. 

The final talk of the morning was delivered by Jandré Oosthuizen, Director of Materials & 3DCP Operations at HTL. He built on Thomas Holden’s comments about testing for the optimal concrete blend for 3D concreate printing. From there, he laid out how the machine was calibrated to use this material and the benefits of this construction process, including reduced build times and less labour required on the building site. 

Following the speaker addresses and an engaging Q&A with the audience, attendees were treated to a site tour, which included inspecting two 3D printed test houses and a demonstration of the concrete printer in action. This R&D facility was critical for HTL in the recent delivery of the Grange Close development in Dundalk, Co. Louth. It allowed HTL’s engineers and 3D print technicians to test materials before construction onsite.