Robots in Construction: How ECOLOGICAL CITY Speeds Up Block Development
Building a single unified urban block with 2,320 apartments is a demanding logistical task. Building dozens, hundreds, or thousands of such blocks by 2100 is a task that is unthinkable without advanced industrial automation. That is precisely why ONE GVS, already at the planning stage of ECOLOGICAL CITY, is counting on its own in-house construction company becoming not only a manufacturer of simple prefabricated elements, but also an operator of complex robotic lines.
From Prefabrication to Robotized Production
The EcoCitii model has been built from the outset on dry construction, modularity, and economies of scale—principles that are a natural prerequisite for deploying robotics. While a conventional developer treats robotization as an afterthought to a traditional construction site, the EcoCitii project has planned for it from the very beginning, and on a massive scale. For example, the Australian manufacturer 5North now uses a group of KUKA robots to produce wall panels up to twelve meters long and is able to supply components for a thousand homes a year, with even more possible at full capacity. A similar principle—robots collaborating with humans on heavy and repetitive work while skilled workers oversee quality and decision-making—is also being tested by researchers at the University of Florida. For a block with thousands of housing units, as EcoCitii proposes, this approach is a natural step toward maintaining efficiency and affordable prices without sacrificing quality.
Why Automation Pays Off for a Non-Profit Model
EcoCitii's reinvestment strategy is built on the principle that all operating surpluses remain within the project. In-house robotized production reinforces this logic—it reduces dependence on external suppliers and the availability of skilled labor, and shortens the time between the start of construction and the arrival of the first residents, partly thanks to the possibility of 24/7 operation without negative impacts on workers or the environment. According to the latest reports from 2026, construction robotics has already moved beyond the pilot-project phase into repeatable production deployment, suggesting that the cost of this technology may gradually decline in the coming years.
Where Robots Will Actually Enter the Block
Three areas are closest to practical deployment today: the off-site production of wall and ceiling panels, the assembly of MEP installations (electrical, water, HVAC) in repeatable housing units, and 3D printing of structural elements or the precise application of various complex finishing layers. This type of "industrialized construction" makes it possible to preserve architectural quality while supporting an ecological approach, modern technology, and the efficiency promised to future residents by the Tenant Manual 2.0, all while keeping construction costs at a level that allows both rental and owned housing to be offered significantly below the price of the standard European new-build market.
A Challenge the Community Must Solve Together
At the same time, introducing robotics into in-house construction production is not something that happens automatically—it requires new procedures, adequate construction preparation, trained operators, and a clearly defined quality process, without which automation brings not savings but only new risks. ONE GVS therefore plans a gradual rollout—from the first production line of the first urban block to fully automated construction and maintenance of entire cities of the future.
Just like the entire ECOLOGICAL CITY project, its construction future rests on the shared determination of the Patron community to push the boundaries of what is possible in affordable housing. Robotizing production is not an end in itself, but a tool for keeping the promise of faster, cheaper, yet still high-quality construction for every next block on the path to new cities.
For more information, visit the official project website
by ONE GVS team
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