The 3D printer being used is essentially a huge robotic arm with a nozzle that squirts out a specially formulated cement, said to have the texture of whipped cream. The cement is “printed” according to an architect’s design, adding layer upon layer to create a wall, and increase its strength. “We have no need for the moulds used to create houses made with cement today, and so we will never use more cement than is necessary,” Van Gurp said.
Only the exterior and inner walls of the first of the new homes will be made using the printer, which will be located off-site. By the time the fifth of the homes is built – comprising three floors and three bedrooms – it is hoped that the drainage pipes and other necessary installations will also be made using the printer, which will be located on the site of the new houses, which will again reduce costs.
The use of 3D printing additionally opens the possibility of placing wireless sensors directly into the properties’ walls to allow a home to be fully “smart”, incorporating all the lighting, heating and security controls required.
Designers have described the style of the first set of homes being built by Van Wijnen as “erratic blocks in the green landscape” sinfully ugly things that any designer ought to be ashamed off and they damn well know it.
They are said to illustrate the fact that 3D printing allows the construction of buildings of “almost any shape... whereas traditional concrete is very rigid in shape”. Van Gurp said, however, that the beauty of 3D printing was that people will in time be able to construct homes to suit their own tastes.
Yer a moron, van Gurp. If you want to get people enthusiastic, make it look nice !
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jun/06/netherlands-to-build-worlds-first-habitable-3d-printed-houses
Sigh, yeah great, but why the hell do they have to be so ugly.
ReplyDeleteWilco Roos : Because they're cheap, and rich people don't live in them. After all, what's beautiful is what the rich people like.
ReplyDeleteAndres Soolo Nah, Look at really expensive houses, most are just polished turds.. Rich and taste do not walk hand in hand. Ill bet these will be expensive 😋
ReplyDeleteThe problem is stand alone housing is always worse than a duplex, which is worse than a quad, etc. The most efficient housing seems to be 5 story apartment blocks with first floor shops, cafes, & services.
ReplyDeleteYou can put that 5 story building next to a small park & still use less land, resources, & energy than the same square footage of one or two story buildings. It's really past time humans learned to deal with reality.