Whether it’s everyday household items or actual houses, 3D printers are changing the way we think about construction. These printers continue to get more advanced and we’re seeing more and more influence in the real estate industry.
3D-Printed Housing Solutions
There are new residential communities being built almost entirely out of 3D-printed materials, with the largest-scale project out in Rancho Mirage. These homes are almost like pre-fabricated Lego kits with pieces being made at a shop in Oakland and then being assembled in the desert. It’s an entirely new way of approaching construction that offers some significant sustainable housing advantages.
With lumber prices through the roof and some other traditional building materials being expensive and inefficient, 3D printing could be the future of housing. Even if a structure isn’t built entirely out of 3D-printed components, some pieces could be to save time, money and natural resources.
We are seeing some 3D-printed houses and building materials being used throughout the Los Angeles area, as well. It probably won’t be long before we start seeing this trend on an even bigger scale.
Full-Scale House Printing
WASP is a company based in Italy that has developed one of the first large-scale 3D printers designed for building houses and other sustainable structures. It utilizes a crane system to build houses from the ground up at the construction site. It uses raw earth-based materials and geopolymers as walls, floors and roofs are constructed layer by layer. The design can be programmed into the printer and it takes care of the rest. It’s quite amazing to imagine a whole house literally being printed from scratch like this. Of course, we’re not talking about very large houses with this particular machine. However, it’s only a matter of time before this idea scales up even further.
Architecture and Sustainability
3D printing has been impacting the housing market for longer than you might think. A very common application finds architects and developers using 3D printers to create physical models of residential and commercial structures. When paired with AI technology and interactive digital renderings, they are able to learn everything about a building’s design and functionality before any construction begins. This is leading to significant advancements in structural integrity, energy efficiency, improved construction techniques and more sustainable housing solutions.
It seems like we’re still only scratching the surface of what modern technology like 3D printing can do. The advancements have already been incredible and we’re excited to see what the future has in store.