this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2024
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Futurology
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I seriously doubt 3D printed homes will ever be disruptive in any real sense. Effectively, it makes frame building easier. But that has never been the limiting factor in construction. All of the wiring, plumbing, etc is what is most difficult about building a home.
This company intends to do away with all that by just building a basic structure for people that need housing the most. Their "printer" is very cheap and fits in a shipping container. This is pretty much best case scenario, and it still would be upstaged by a shipping container of cinder blocks. The use case for 3D printed homes is luxury housing with funny shapes sold for high prices.
the first microwave ovens were for rich people only too….
everything you’re saying might be true now, but there’s definitely a lot of potential and benefit to doing it like that…
I like your optimism but disagree with your conclusion. Even before factoring in cost, I think there are far more drawbacks than benefits for 3D printing a house. Even if it lowered the cost of frame building to free, it still wouldn't be used because all the other problems it would create. The costs of mitigating those problems will keep it niche and expensive.
The real innovations in home construction aren't going to be noticed by the average person. It will be things like new types of lumber, greater use of pre-fab sections, etc. This article is likely pushed by a PR firm for a startup to get funding from the UN based on buzzwords and hype.