In Dübendorf, Switzerland the official opening of the world's first digitally planned and built residence now stands. Coined, the DFAB House, the project was developed by researchers from ETH Zurich in collaboration with industrial partners and the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR). The three-story house sits on top of the Next Evolution in Sustainable Building Technologies (NEST) research institute of Empa and Eawag in Dübendorf. According to ETH Zurich, "The aim of digital technologies is not only to make planning and construction more efficient but also more sustainable. For example, the digitally planned floor slab of the DFAB HOUSE is statically and structurally optimized in such a way that considerable amounts of material can be saved compared to a conventional concrete slab."

The three-story, 2,153 square foot smart house was developed by eight ETH Zurich professors who used innovative digital building techniques and programmed robots to perform various aspects of fabrication and assembly. A digitally designed floor was created using 3D sand printers and 295 specified framework parts to create the "Smart Slab." The Smart Slab allowed them to "create a free-form, highly optimized building component." Smart, dynamic casting systems allowed for digitally controlled concrete pouring which shaped the concrete while it hardened resulting in the production of mullions which were then assembled. Prefabricated timber was also used to construct the house's upper floor. An on-site mobile construction robot was programmed to assemble the pieces through sensory and computing systems which were designed to adapt to an array of construction variables.

Matthias Kohler, ETH Professor of Architecture and Digital Fabrication shares, "The architectural potential of digital fabrication technologies is immense. Unfortunately, these technologies are still scarcely used on construction sites. With the DFAB HOUSE, we are able to test new technologies hand in hand with industry and thus accelerate the transfer from research to practice." Guests will be able to move into the residence and experience the building for itself this Spring.