Chinese company ‘builds’ 3D-printed villa in less than 3 hours

Inhabit ^ | July 22, 2015 | Lucy Wang

[exit82]

Mrs. Don-O, I doubt that you WAG a lot!

You’re a very smart cookie.

Best regards.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Awwww...

[Zhang Fei]

$400 – $480 per square meter?

Labor in China is fairly cheap. A few years back, a 200 sq m (converting to roughly 11 sq ft per sq m) high rise condo in one of the coastal boom towns went for $100K, including land cost. I'm guessing construction costs were less than $500 per square m. What's your estimate of per sq ft Houston area construction costs?

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

Would be helpful if they gave the cost of a traditionally constructed home per sq meter.

[2ndDivisionVet]

What “labor” does a machine require? And I live in Denton, not Houston.

[caww]

That's pretty cool....but yes, no matter how they assemble these they still look like shipping crates put together. although this 'shipping crate house' is stunning.

[sten]

2000 sq feet == 185 sq meters

$480 per sq meter would put the building cost around $89k for a typical home

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

Yes but what does it normally cost there to build something comparable?

[Conservative4Ever]

That house is stunning. Wow.

[PAR35]

Each module looks about 2 or 3 meters wide, maybe 9 or 10 long. Can’t tell if it is 6 or 8 modules. If 6, perhaps 1600 square feet, give or take a couple of hundred. (One square meter equals roughly 100 square feet)

[Zhang Fei]

What “labor” does a machine require?

My guess is that the major components of this guy's costs are the cost of acquiring the machine, the materials that can be fed into the machine and the wear and tear on the machine before an expensive overhaul is required or a new machine has to be purchased. My guess is that it's not quite competitive with traditional methods and materials yet.

[caww]

Here's another shipping container home...even the pool if I remember right

[TBP]

OK, then. The solution to all housing problems, right?

Yeah, riiiiiight!

[gundog]

Take that, Dennis Weaver!

[Dan Cooper]

It's been done...

[American Constitutionalist]

Interesting, and much stronger than a stick built house, and in some cases cheaper costs.

[antidisestablishment]

Actually, the allure of printing is that complex, multidimensional structures can be manufactured. Printing Victorian homes or even castles would cost little more than printing cubes. As this matures, customization will become the norm.

[caww]

Two of my clients were Modular Home Manufacturers......it was a real eye opener when I toured the plants and saw these homes come together... via an assembly line...all the way to the finish...wrapped and sealed for delivery....Also interesting was how these companies shipped so many of these overseas.... So it's not surprising to see all sorts of modulars now being produced...under various names and styles.

Here's an interesting modular for those wanting to live in the open...

[Conservative4Ever]

The structures really are beautiful for what they are. Reminds me of the old adage said by my great-great aunt “a little powder, a little paint, makes a girl what she ain’t.

[antidisestablishment]

That’s cool, but I really want to see curves. I love arches and the soft flow of rock and adobe buildings. The potential is truly staggering. I hope I live to see it.