"...range in price from around $450,000 to close to $600,000."
In other words, there is little economic incentive to recommend this construction method. Not much in the way of aesthetics either --- unless you want a ranch box.
Seems pointless and expensive, and it's concrete that doesn't lend itself to modification or repair. 3D printing in this case appears to be used as a tech gimmick rather than an actually-scalable process, or it would already be in-use everywhere.
The most inherently sensible home would be protected from wind (derecho, hurricane, and the uncommon tornado), fire, flooding, and severe heat and cold (and associated climate control costs) by building mostly underground on flat, stable, high ground.
When I was working at USC-ISI back in 2009β10, there was a project about doing 3D printing for construction taking place there back then. I was a bit surprised to learn that not only was this company not derived from those efforts, but according to their website, βIn 2018, we told people we were going to 3D print a house and unveil it during SXSW in Austin, TX before we knew how to do it.β I wonder what ever happened with that ISI research work.
Glad to see new building techniques being attempted in real world scenarios. 3d printed structures will be most compelling when they do more things that are difficult or impractical with traditional techniques: curved walls, built inside, ornamentation, patterns, etc.
How would plumbing and wiring work? The article states that the wall is a semi-hollow, corduroy pattern, so do the printers leave openings in the walls so pipes/wiring get shoved into them after?
I think everyone is missing the real reason for this. From TFA:
> requires fewer workers
what TFA didn't say, and which I'm sure is also true, is that the workers can also be less skilled.
I found it fascinating that interior walls are also concrete, and wifi signals are blocked. I betcha cellular doesn't fare too well either, and not easily fixed with multiple access points.
Lots of cynical takes here. Its cool. Time will tell if this method makes sense. One concern I have is in Texas the extreme weather and clay soil causes foundations to move. Lots of houses have foundation problems. Foundation shifts will likely translate into cracks.
Tornado-proofing, if actually so, is enough reason to prefer it, although I'm quite skeptical that it is protective as such.
for more detailed info watch https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=video...
Why would someone want one of these ugly homes for $400k when for that price you can buy something much nicer?
3D printed concrete, to be exact; and the cost benefits over traditional cast concrete seem unclear to me.
I wonder if 3d-printer lines will someday become a desirable aesthetic - like film grain.
Getting a strong cybertruck vibe from this neighborhood.
Good thing is it provides better insulation than wood.
Can we please 3D print a city block next time?
Oh look, a suburb printer. Thirty minutes from Austin? I wonder if there's any grocery stores or places to gather any closer. So what if it's printed? Still looks like a miserable place designed more for cars to live in than humans.
If you have the ability to pump concrete, and a gantry across the whole site, why wouldn't you pick and place concrete blocks or other materials rather than concrete the whole thing on site?
Also, aren't these walls significantly more CO2 unfriendly than lumber, and more difficult to renovate? What if I need to get a builder in to do repairs, is there a concrete wall guy who knows how to repair them?
Can it print multi family housing?
It takes four weeks to print, which seems long to frame a single story three bedroom house. If the home buyer isn't feeling savings, what's the draw here.