Worldwide there are over a billion people who lack adequate and safe housing. One of the problems has always been how to provide it at a level that is affordable, efficient, and can be done quickly enough to make a real impact. The solution could be a lot closer than ever before, especially now that several companies have begun work on 3D printing entire homes.
One such company, ICON, recently built the first 3D printed house in the U.S. in Austin TX. It took just about 47 hours, at ¼ speed, to produce the home, and cost right around $4,000. This is the sort of low cost solution that could revolutionize the housing industry, and provide affordable housing for millions that thought home ownership would forever be outside their reach, and for those who live in the developing world where safe housing is in short supply for all but the most affluent.
The process has almost no waste, which keeps the costs low, and the 3D printing technique allows for short build times, which means entire homes can be printed in a day, or even less. The low cost could make home ownership possible for more people, and could be utilized to help provide low cost housing to combat homelessness in many of our major cities or to replace unsafe housing in more rural areas.
See the video below for more details:
