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

Chinese company, Zhuoda, printed six giant 3D modules and put them together to form a two story villa in front of a crowd, that was then invited to tour the house.

The home is fireproof and made to withstand a magnitude-9 earthquake, using materials the company is keeping secret.

While normal villas take about six months to construct, this building was printed in ten days, mostly off-site, and shipped to the construction site where it was put together like LEGOs.  In addition to saving a huge amount of time, it slashes the cost to only about $400 – $480 per square meter (down from $1,500 - $2,500).

Though the company is keeping the material secret, they did explain that it was built with steel frames and much of the material was derived from industrial and agricultural waste (though it was noted that harmful substances such as formaldehyde, ammonia, and radon were not used).

Once the structural framework is 3D printed, homeowners are able to choose from a variety of decorative textures, such as jade, marble, wood, and granite, and herbs can be embedded into the walls of the house for ‘built-in aromatherapy.’

The buildings are said to withstand 150 years of normal wear.

   

http://inhabitat.com/chinese-company-builds-3d-printed-villa-in-less-than-3-hours/