The University of Windsor has started building Canada’s first 3D-printed multi-storey residence, arriving as Ontario struggles to meet its home construction goals.
This innovative technology could offer what officials say is, “a solution” to an ongoing housing shortage in the province.
The project, located at 1025 California Ave. in Windsor, uses a large-scale concrete 3D printer to build the walls of a seven-unit student residence that will double as a research facility for the university’s engineering faculty.
Backed by $2 million from FedDev Ontario and supported by partners Printerra Inc. and Desjardins Ontario Credit Union, the initiative is being framed as a test case for whether additive construction can deliver homes more quickly and at lower cost.
“This project shows what’s possible when government, academia and industry work together with purpose,” said Dr. J.J. McMurtry, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Windsor, in a statement.
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Engineering professor Dr. Sreekanta Das, who leads the project, says the on-site printing process will allow researchers to evaluate durability, energy performance and cost efficiency under real-world conditions.
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This data may help policymakers assess whether the net-zero technology can scale up for larger buildings.
Harald Bathelt, professor in the University of Toronto’s geography and planning department, says the Windsor project demonstrates that new approaches remain possible to address housing issues, despite skepticism in countries including the United States. Bathelt said there has been backlash related to global climate solutions, including net-zero technology.
“It shows and reminds us that different policy approaches are possible,” he said.
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The Windsor pilot comes at a time when Ontario’s homebuilding ambitions are being repeatedly revised downward.
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According to Ontario’s 2025 fall economic statement, the province now expects to build 81,700 fewer homes between 2024 and 2027 than projected earlier this year.
Current projections suggest Ontario may build just 40 per cent of its 2026 target.
Housing supply and affordability are among the “most significant challenges facing communities everywhere,” said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, in a news conference earlier this month aimed at tackling housing issues.
According to Dilkens, the city’s Housing Solutions Made for Windsor plan, which has already mapped out roughly four square kilometres for residential intensification, is key to the city’s progress toward building 13,000 homes by 2031.
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And now with this new technology, officials say that goal may be far more attainable.
“This milestone reflects advancing additive construction and providing a platform that enables its wider adoption,” added Leigh Newman, CEO of Printerra, the company behind the technology.
In a statement, Federal Economic Development Minister Evan Solomon chimed in to say the initiative is a “true example of how innovation and collaboration can drive change.”
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