LUYTEN targets high rise construction with new ASCEND 3D printing system

How ASCEND extends LUYTEN 3D printing into high rise construction.

Melbourne-based construction technology company LUYTEN has launched what it describes as the world’s first tower crane-based 3D concrete printing platform, a system designed to extend additive manufacturing into multi-storey and high-rise construction. (main image: LUYTEN’s ASCEND platform integrates 3D concrete printing technology with conventional tower crane infrastructure, enabling automated construction of multi-storey and high-rise buildings up to 100 metres in height.)

For several years, LUYTEN has been one of Australia’s most prominent developers of large-scale 3D concrete printing technology, producing a series of robotic construction systems aimed at reducing labour requirements, material waste and construction timelines.

Built Offsite has previously reported on the company’s role in delivering Australia’s early 3D-printed housing projects, including a pioneering Indigenous housing initiative in Alice Springs and the development of its PLATYPUS range of construction printers. Earlier in 2025 the company was also involved in the delivery of a multi-storey 3D-printed home, highlighting the growing maturity of additive manufacturing technologies within the local construction sector.

Now the Melbourne-based company is attempting to address one of the industry’s most significant challenges: vertical construction.

Known as ASCEND, the new system transforms a conventional tower crane into a large-scale robotic concrete printer capable of constructing buildings up to 100 metres in height.

Unlike most construction-scale 3D printers, which typically rely on gantry systems or robotic arms and are generally limited to low-rise applications, ASCEND integrates directly with tower crane infrastructure already found on major construction sites.

According to LUYTEN, the system can be installed on a standard tower crane within one to two days, creating a construction platform capable of operating across a 45-metre radius while reaching heights of up to 100 metres.

Bringing additive manufacturing to vertical construction

The significance of the announcement lies in the potential expansion of 3D concrete printing beyond detached housing and low-rise structures.

While additive manufacturing has attracted considerable attention globally, many systems remain constrained by the physical dimensions of their printing frames. As building height increases, the complexity and cost of scaling those systems rises significantly.

By using the reach and height capabilities already available through tower crane infrastructure, Luyten believes ASCEND could enable automated construction of apartment buildings, commercial developments, industrial facilities and major infrastructure projects.

The platform combines robotic concrete deposition, AI-assisted automation and digital construction workflows that translate digital building models into printed structures. The company says the system has been designed to reduce reliance on manual construction processes while improving construction efficiency and material utilisation.

Building on earlier 3D printing milestones

The launch represents the latest stage in LUYTEN’s broader strategy to commercialise large-scale construction printing technologies.

Alongside the ASCEND platform, the company continues to develop its proprietary Ultimatecrete printable concrete system and associated software tools for automated print-path generation, workflow optimisation and real-time construction monitoring.

For a company whose early projects focused on demonstrating the viability of 3D-printed housing, ASCEND represents a significant expansion in scope. Rather than targeting individual dwellings and low-rise structures, the new platform is designed for the larger, more complex building typologies that increasingly define urban development, including apartment towers, commercial buildings and major infrastructure projects.

Although regulatory frameworks and engineering standards for high-rise 3D printed buildings continue to evolve internationally, ASCEND demonstrates how construction technology developers are increasingly looking beyond housing applications and towards taller and more complex forms of construction.