House built using 3D construction printer
Forget bricks and mortar: how about building a house using a 3D printer?
Apis Cor — makers of a mobile construction 3D printer that is capable of printing whole buildings completely on site — and Russian property development firm PIK Group, recently teamed up to design and construct a 38-squaremetre 3D-printed house in just 24 hours.
The single-storey house in the Russian community of Stupino, about 110 kilometres south of Moscow, was printed using Apis Cor’s giant mobile 3D printer. The project home was designed in a cylindrical shape, giving the small home curving walls, highlighting the flexibility and freedom that 3D printing can give to architects and designers.
The frigid temperatures in Russia proved to be a challenge to the project. The concrete mix used to print the house is only functional at 5 C (41 F) or higher.
The builders managed to circumvent this by erecting a protective tent around the construction site.
The total construction cost of the house amounted to US$10,134, or roughly US$275 per square metre. A typical square-shaped house minus any fancier materials and appliances, says Apis Cor, would have run approximately US$223 per square metre.