Does 3D printing technology shape the construction future?

Technology has transformed our lives, by time passing books and music have become digitalize, cars have become computerized, and the smartphones we carry in our pockets have become more powerful than the supercomputers of the mid-1990s. Despite the impact of technology on all aspects of our lives, however, one aspect has remained the same, and that is housing.

However, this will not last long. With the advent of the 3D printer, it became possible to build houses in a small time and at a much lower cost compared to normal construction methods. The best way to clarify this is by giving examples of some companies that are working hard to apply this technology in construction.

In 2017, Apis Cor built the first 3D printing house in Stupino Russia in just 24 hours. The 400-square-foot house was built with a cost of $10,000, The main components of the house, including walls and foundation, were printed and other fittings of doors, windows and wires were added, as well as adding a glossy coating to the outside of the house.

The house consists of an entrance, bathroom, living room and kitchen, which a house that can last up to 175 years. The main goal of using 3D technology in construction is the speed, efficiency and also cost reduction.

This is the first time that a three-dimensional house was made on-site directly and in one day, as components were usually manufactured off-site and then assembled at the specified location.

It should be noted that printed houses will not be limited to rectangular forms only, but the house can be printed in any form and by using many different materials.

his takes us to Wasp, an Italian company that built a project called Gaia, a small house built for only $ 1,000, by using a modular printer called “crane Wasp”, which allows the construction of large structures and can print structures of concrete and geopolymers, as well as printing any material from the construction site.

The construction is mainly made of cement and a wood roof, but the three-dimensional walls are made of 25% of the soil taken from the construction site, 40% of straw, 25% of rice husk, and 10% of hydraulic lime mixed in a wet pan mill. For a house-made largely out of dirt, the interior looks so elegant and comfortable that it shows how useful and economical a 3D printer can be to create disaster relief shelters or a house at the cost of an iPhone for anyone.

The application of 3D printing in construction is a technology aimed to solve the housing crisis in the world by building houses using sustainable materials in a fast and economical manner. But when and where we will start to see people living in 3D houses.

This year the Netherlands faced a shortage of contractors, which caused rising construction costs, this is something that the construction company “VAN WIJNEN” seeks to solve, as it works with the city of Eindhoven to build the first complex of 3D technology printed houses in the world.

The complex will consist of five houses printed out of concrete; each house will be more architecturally sophisticated than the house that precedes it. The company designed the project in a way making the houses look like statues amidst an aesthetic garden. This project is highly applauded by residents, where there are about 20 people seeking to buy the first house.

The project is expected to look great once it is completed, and we hope to see other similar projects around the world by applying that amazing technology. As it seems that companies would eventually be forced to apply these techniques in light of the changes that the construction sector is facing.