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How is this cheaper than shipping in prefab blocks and bolting them together? There are lots of claims about it being low cost and affordable but little data to
by injidup 7y ago
How is this cheaper than shipping in prefab blocks and bolting them together? There are lots of claims about it being low cost and affordable but little data to explain why.
- joe_the_user 7y agoWell, a manufactured home in the US can be quite affordable. Of course, in "many locations" (oh gaw, I'm in California) permitting, utility hook-ups, land and so-forth adds so much that the cost of just assembling the physical house isn't that important. Of course, this is Mexico, so I assume the equation is different. But in Mexico, at least they'll let you live in a shack-I-mean-tiny-house, so I assume this has to be somewhat competitive.
- Tepix 7y agoThere aren't many claims of lower cost in the article. There is only one mention of cost. I'm wondering about the cost as well. The possibility of using local materials for a 3d printer is enticing, however.
- notahacker 7y agoI find it hard to believe it is, frankly, particularly when you take into account the highly specialised equipment and apparently a large rain shield that need to be setup beforehand. Less trendy modern methods of construction can deliver things like fully-fitted bathrooms to sites. I'd have thought the virtues of 3D printing as a construction technique are much more to do with precision forming of unusual shapes tbh, which is the other end of the market.
- jcims 7y agoProbably not cheaper yet. But it could be logistically simpler. The whole thing would fit on a truck, source local concrete and you're basically done with the frame. Windows/doors/mechanicals/finishes still need solved for of course. Seems like they are just doing R&D at this point though.
- lnsru 7y agoThis here is low cost and affordable: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattenbau https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattenbau Almost 100 years ago Germans discovered the way of cheap building. The first houses are still used according recent documentary. This 3D printing might be novel, but basically they move their factory each time for a new house while Plattenbau factory must be installed once. Plus Plattenbau has canals for cables and already installed windows and doors. Plus Plattenbau can be a high building. I live in one from 1965, it’s really shitty. Insulation between concrete layers is gone, you can hear TV of the neighbors and it’s cold in winter.
- pasabagi 7y agoI quite liked living in a plattenbau - but then, my neighbors were quiet. The rooms were spacious, and the heating was pretty good.
- rapnie 7y agoPrefab cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a modern equivalent. It is suitable for highrise buildings (no concrete, all wood including elevator shafts, etc) and it is a carbon sink for as long as the housing stands.
- CWuestefeld 7y agoThat seems rather close to brutalist architecture.
- MayeulC 7y agoHow about taking the best of both worlds? Move the printer relatively nearby (it could be on a boat, for instance), and have it print prefab items on demand; those can have complex and one-off shapes as well. You likely make it cheaper by using locally-sourced materials (gravel, sand, cement if possible) instead of transporting those. And you can probably pack the rest a lot more tightly than moving those air-filled walls around.