The latest development in 3d printing? Providing shelter for the homeless or refugees displaced by natural disasters or war. A small ten-residence community of cost effective homes recently sprung up in Shanghai, and thanks to 3D printing, constructing the village only took a day.
The houses might have been assembled quickly, but it took WinSun Decoration Design Engineering Co. years to perfect the technology necessary to pull off their impressive feat. The company used an 150 meter long, 10 meter wide and 6 meter deep printer to form the houses’ parts. (Unlike other 3D printed products, the houses don’t spring out fully formed. Yet.)
Each house is made of cement and industrial waste. Explains WinSun’s CEO on 3ders.org, using the printer would cut down on construction cost by 50% and “there will not be any waste from the construction of new buildings.”
WinSun is currently building 100 recycling factories in China to develop the material for similar housing projects, so it’s clear that they want the future of 3D printing to be more than just neat art projects and rapidly assembled pizzas. Make sure to check out the pictures here to see the houses and get excited for the cost-effective and environmentally friendly possibilities the future of printing may hold.
(via I Fucking Love Science, image via dragonoak)
