A research team from a Chilean university recently built Latin America's first 3D-printed "seed house," which was made entirely of concrete and printed in a lab. While printed homes aren't new, they're considered a housing breakthrough in the region.
Reuters reported that a team from the University of Bío-Bío used a giant printer that spits out long strips of concrete and an industrial robot to build the home based on computer models. Impressively, the walls were built in just 29 hours, and the entire home was constructed in only two days.
The home is humble at around 325 square feet but has plenty of perks. For one, homeowners don't have to wait for months to move into their new digs, and the durable concrete walls may provide protection against climate disasters. Plus, concrete can help regulate indoor temperatures, making it easier for residents to endure sweltering summers in the country.
🗣️ Would you live in a home made of water, mud, and straw?
🔘 Sign me up 👍
🔘 As long as it looks cool 😎
🔘 As long as it saves me money 🤑
🔘 Not for me 👎
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
The architecture faculty at the university presented the finished home last month, and it was placed in a local neighborhood on land owned by a private construction company. If the concept takes off, it could provide cheaper, more resilient housing options for Latin Americans.
"We have many housing demands in Latin America, and we are used to importing things," Rodrigo García, a member of the university's construction group, told Reuters. "This is a complex change to adopt, which has to be adapted to our Chilean reality rooted in earthquakes, to our variety of climate.
"... This is a very revolutionary technology because it changes the traditional way of building, where plans are made, products are quoted, a large number of elements have to be purchased and the land prepared, which is time-consuming."
3D-printed homes such as the seed house are also much kinder to the environment. Since they're built mainly in labs, they don't require as many resources as traditional homes, reducing planet-warming pollution from the construction process.
From Europe to America to outer space, 3D-printed homes are starting to shake up the construction market and provide an alternative solution to traditional houses. As the technology expands, it will likely become cheaper and ease the financial strain that comes with modern homeownership.
Even if you're not interested in buying one of these high-tech homes, there are plenty of ways you can make your home more energy-efficient and save on electric bills. Installing solar panels, a heat pump, or a tankless water heater are great ways to help your wallet while benefiting our planet.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
