3D printed houses

Like me, you may have wondered where 3D printing was going to go next.

I myself have had experience with 3D printing for various work and projects and have found it to be a far from perfect process. This being said, the latest movement of producing 3D printed housing is exciting... and not necessarily for you and I.

If you are reading this blog post you have access to a computer: my guess is that you're sitting in a nice cafe or in the comfort of your own home. 3D printed housing is probably not going to change your life.

As Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis explains in his TEDx Talk, 3D printed housing could change the lives of those living in extreme poverty. His talk is 11 minuted long, but well worth a listen.

Here are some facts for you:
- 1 in 3 children do not have adequate shelter
- 50% of the world population live on under $2.50 per day

It is these people that this advancement in technology may benefit with suitable backing and development.

The BBC reported (25th April 2014) that a Chinese company had built 10 full sized eco-houses in 1 day. They use recycled construction and industrial waste to build these houses at a cost of just £2830 each. As technology advances and this becomes more commonplace, this cost will only come down.

This is still a lot of money, but in comparison to alternatives it is very reasonable indeed.

A company in Amsterdam have been slowly creating the first 3D printed Canal House. It is constructed using a Lego type system of blocks that are printed in the "KamerMaker" - a 6m high custom made 3D printer.
It was recently visited by Barack Obama and has been attracting a lot of media attention.



As for the future of 3D printed housing, I for one am excited. I certainly hope that this technology will be developed and used to benefit those who need it the most.