3D PRINTED TINY HOME: A NEW SUSTAINABLE WAY TO BUILD HOUSING

The “way of the future”: Building in less than 24 hours. To counter the global housing crisis. More resistant than traditional construction. The answer to the climate emergency… According to the media, 3D-printed houses offer solutions to many problems. But what is the reality, and what is the ecological impact of this new construction technique? Discover the best projects until now!  

What is a 3D-printed house?

The building is first designed digitally. Then, a machine prints structures in an automated way on or off-site: layer by layer, a paste (mortar, concrete, plastic, clay) is pushed through a nozzle or a robotic arm, according to the indications of a digital drawing, to raise the shell.

3D-printed house projects

As you know, additive manufacturing is becoming increasingly important in the construction market. It allows you to create more complex shapes, build walls faster and reduce labor costs. Many players have started to build 3D-printed buildings or houses. Beware, however, of what is called a 3D printed house: most of the time, it is the walls that are made with a concrete 3D printer, layer by layer. 

This is an innovation in itself, which also makes it possible to address areas that are difficult to access, disadvantaged, or in conflict. We are gradually starting to see the inauguration of 3D-printed houses, with the first families moving into them. It is still difficult to judge the sustainability of such a structure, and only time will tell if this manufacturing method is more viable. 

However, we can introduce you to some 3D-printed house projects from around the world!

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A 3D-printed house in Japan

In less than 24 hours and for less than $25,500, the company Serendix designed this tiny house with 3D-printed walls. 

Although it may seem difficult to inhabit, the project is interesting and demonstrates the agility of concrete 3D printing. With an area of only 10 square meters, the structure is honeycomb-shaped and lacks reinforcement. 

Serendix’s goal is to create emergency housing in times of crisis: earthquakes and typhoons regularly hit the country. It took three hours to assemble the various 3D-printed parts and a total of 23 hours and 12 minutes to achieve the final result.

Alquist 3D and the Virginia project

Alquist 3D launched one of its new 3D-printed housing projects. Located in the state of Virginia, the 200 houses that make up the project will be created through additive manufacturing with the aim of reducing the overall cost of infrastructure in economically disadvantaged communities. 

According to the company, which specializes in the 3D printing of concrete housing, the initiative aims to become one of the largest housing construction projects, with Pulaski and Roanoke being the first cities chosen for it. 

This is due to the growth in demand for housing in these areas in recent years. Having successfully completed the project for Habitat for Humanity, this new idea now aims to help the company expand further into the 3D construction market.

The 3D-printed Fibonnaci house

The next house on our list is interesting not only for its design but also because it’s the first fully 3D-printed house to be listed on Airbnb. 

Twente Additive Manufacturing (TAM), one of the leading companies in concrete 3D printing, created this spiral-shaped house following the Fibonacci sequence, a famous mathematical sequence also known as the golden ratio that often appears in nature, thus giving the house its name. 

The spiral allows for the progression of space from the wide-open exterior to the closed, warmer space in the narrower part of the spiral. The Tiny Home is available for rent for a minimum of two nights in Proctor, British Columbia, Canada, on Airbnb for approximately $128 per night.

Mvule Gardens

Mvule Gardens is a neighborhood consisting of 52 homes, it’s the largest 3D-printed affordable housing project in Africa. Built by 14Trees, a joint venture between Holcim, a global leader in sustainable building solutions, and CDC Group, the project hopes to address the housing shortage in Kenya. 

The homes were built using COBOD’s BOD2 printer and a 3D printable dry mortar called TectorPrint from Holcim, which ensures that the homes are strong enough and can be built with a reduced carbon footprint. 

Both two- and three-bedroom homes are available, and 14 Trees hopes they’ll help make green, low-income, affordable housing a reality in Africa.

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Azure 3D Printed Homes

With the goal of developing homes faster, more economically, and with less environmental impact, Ross Maguire and Gene Eidelman brought Azure 3D Printed Homes to life in 2019. 

Combining years of experience building and developing properties around the world, the company has already been able to 3D print several environmentally friendly homes. 

The company uses recycled waste to create the structure of the homes, which are extruded by a large-scale 3D printer in just 24 hours. 

Azure 3D Printed Homes offers a variety of offices and homes, such as its Azure Marina model. The 33-square-foot studio includes a bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, and can be customized and ordered through the company’s website.

House 1.0

The first 3D-printed tiny house in Europe! It was made by the Danish 3D printing startup, 3DCP Group, using concrete. With this house, the company set out to build better, faster, and greener, while reducing the effort required in the construction process. 

The tiny house was designed to be as economical as possible and to provide its owners with all the necessary amenities despite its small size of only 37 m2.

Prvok

Whether in the countryside, in the city, or even on the water, the 3D-printed house called Prvok was born in the Czech Republic from the collaboration between Buřinka, a visionary construction company, and sculptor Michael Trpák. 

Constructed of concrete, the house can be printed in just 22 hours with a printing speed of 15 cm per second, and with dimensions of 13.35 m x 3.5 m x 3.1 m. 

The robotic arm thus produces a living space of 43 m2. With a total of three rooms – a bathroom with a toilet, a living room with a kitchenette, and a bedroom – the building can even be solidified as a floating hollow body, making it habitable all year round on the water.

Project Milestone

It involved 3D printing 5 concrete houses. Well, the first one has been rented and has been since May 2021. 

It consists of 24 individual concrete elements printed layer by layer in 120 hours. These 24 pieces were then moved to the site where the house currently stands and finally assembled, and attached to the foundation. The roof, windows, and doors were then added. 

This first 3D-printed house is about 94 square meters and includes a fairly spacious living room and two bedrooms. The other structures are expected to incorporate several floors.

Viliaprint

This project combines additive manufacturing with traditional home-building techniques. The Viliaprint project includes 5 houses that were inaugurated in June this year in the city of Reims, more precisely in the local eco-district called Réma’Vert. 

A total of five houses, with a living area of 77 to 108 m2, were built through the collaboration of several actors and promise social, economic, and sustainable improvements. In the 3D printing, which did not take place directly on site, the designers behind the 3D printers placed particular emphasis on concrete, which dries as quickly as possible after each layer is applied, so that it can support its own weight.