How a builder is creating 3D-printed houses to tackle Australia’s construction skills shortage

Home might be where the heart is but for Nick Holden, it’s where his life’s work lives.

As the founder and chief executive of Contour 3D, Holden builds homes using giant 3D printers loaded with a custom, highly recycled concrete blend instead of ink or a filament.

Putting his money where his mouth is, he now lives in a 3D duplex on the busy Kingsway in Sutherland Shire, which recently nabbed an independent seven-star energy rating, well above the five-star rating once considered standard.

“I really love it. We took a lot of design freedom there. I don’t mind going home,” Holden said.

At a time when the construction sector is facing productivity problems and chronic skills shortages, he believes 3D printing is a game changer for the industry.

Printing homes in days, not weeks

Master Builders data from October 2025 showed an almost 4.6% drop in active building trade apprentices and a growing dropout problem. The company prints the structural walls of a home in days, not weeks.

“Two three-bedroom houses recently built for Homes Victoria were printed in 10 days combined, before a fit-out crew added the roof and finished the interiors.

The company now is working towards a mix of on-site printing and prefabricated construction, with 12 homes already on its books, as it pushes to take 3D-printed housing from demonstration projects to volume supply.

“We now can take kids out of school and offer them an automated construction role,” Holden said. “The most important guy on the site is the guy with the laptop.”

Taking 3D printing to volume housing

Contour 3D now sells its printers and technology to other builders in addition to printing homes itself, with a target of scaling to volume housing production.

Building the technology from scratch took years and Holden credited Commonwealth Bank with backing the business through that period.

“They’ve helped some of our customers, and personally, they’re supporting the innovation side of things. It’s hard to get people to take that leap of faith, but CommBank has been very open to doing that.”

Backing practical innovation

Contour 3D’s story reflects the kind of practical innovation CommBank is looking to recognise through its Business Innovation Awards, which celebrate Australian businesses putting ideas into action.

The Awards are open to eligible businesses across Australia, whether they bank with CommBank or not, with categories covering businesses from early-stage through to established operators. Free online innovation training is also available to help businesses build capability.

CommBank Group Executive Business Banking Mike Vacy-Lyle said practical innovation could make a real difference to how businesses operate, grow and compete.

“When we speak with businesses, productivity usually comes down to very practical things. It might be quoting faster, cutting time from admin, using data to manage stock, or adopting technology so teams can spend more time with customers,” Vacy-Lyle said.

“Those changes don’t always look like major breakthroughs, but they can make a real difference to how a business runs, grows and competes. Access to finance matters, but so do skills, confidence, momentum and the right connections.

“By bringing together the Awards, free training and support from our partners, we want to celebrate businesses already creating impact and help more businesses build the capability to grow.”

This article was first published by The Daily Telegraph and is reproduced here with permission.

Applications are now open for the CommBank Business Innovation Awards and close 30 September. To apply and for full T&Cs visit commbank.com.au/innovation.