Are 3D-printed houses the future of architecture?

If you are anything like me, you have probably grown up hearing all about 3D-printing and its key role in the future, but haven’t quite given it as much thought as you should have. In our day and age, with all the technological advancements that seem to appear out of thin air, having a device capable of printing out a tangible model is something rather unsurprising. But what if I told you that 3D-printers could now be used to construct houses?

The concept of 3D-printing is certainly not a new one. The first 3D-printers were actually built in the 1980s, though the technology was not refined until about ten years ago; ever since it has done nothing but evolve. These printers can now be found in classrooms, workspaces and laboratories for printing all kinds of small parts. But really, they have proven to be particularly useful in architecture studios, where the magic of design happens.

Before we tackle the real reason why you are here, I want to lay out some reasons why architects would want to use these printers in the first place. In order to fully grasp the benefits they bring, you need to understand that architects produce very precise 3D models on special programs to showcase their ideas - and then usually spend hours and hours bringing these models to life using wood, foam, or even plastic. When 3D printing architectural models, you combine the precision of this virtual modelling with the tangibility of a physical object, and the result is having your beautiful design come alive before you in the blink of an eye, straight from your computer! This way, architects can produce physical and extremely detailed scale models, which helps clients visualise their designs much better. Moreover, in such a highly competitive industry like this one, this way designers can express their ideas vividly to win more projects. This is because a 3D-printed architectural model takes out the guesswork and theoretical nature of technical designs and sketches, thus helping them communicate their ideas more easily. This method also saves them time, since after placing the order on the printer they can continue to work on other tasks. Besides this, it is especially useful if the design is particularly intricate - or made up of complicated elements such as complex facades or curved surfaces. And, if you were looking for any more reasons, on top of all this, professional 3D-printers can print with a great level of detail and pretty smooth surfaces, using a wide range of materials. (Fun fact: Polyamide (SLS) – a versatile, strong and flexible material - tends to be the most popular material amongst architects.) They are even environmentally friendly, as they reduce the amount of material wastage that comes with using wood and plastic, which is yet another great indicator that they will play an important part in a more sustainable future.

You are now probably thinking that these printers sound too good to be true and that every single architecture firm in the world should get one as soon as possible seeing all the advantages they bring. You might even be reflecting back on what I said at the beginning about starting to construct houses out of these printers and thinking why the thought of that had never occurred to you. However, there are plenty of reasons why there haven’t been as many 3D-printed houses as one might think. To start with, there would potentially be a reduction in human labour, since most of the production is automated and done by the printers. There is also a restricted build size, as 3D-printers currently have small print chambers which restrict the size of parts that can be printed. Anything larger than that will need to be printed in separate parts and joined together after production. Moreover, keep in mind that with 3D-printing, parts are produced layer by layer, and even though these adhere together, this also means they can delaminate under certain stresses or orientations. Think about this last thing: what would happen if a building was constructed and its orientation was calculated inaccurately? It would collapse! Given the obvious dangers of this, it is understandable that this potential method of construction has been put away in a drawer for a very long time.

But it’s not all bad news. Again, this technology is constantly evolving, and it will continue to do so. The 3D-printed house industry is still very much in its infancy, though many companies are experimenting with multiple techniques and hardware to advance this technology even more rapidly. These companies have been dabbling in the house-printing field for the past few years: Gensler built a 3D-printed office in Dubai in 2016; DUS Architects constructed an urban cabin from 3D-printed bioplastic that same year; CLS Architetti and Arup debuted a 3D-printed house prototype at the 2018 Milan Design Week; and France’s University of Nantes developed a 3D-printed residence called Yhnova, whose occupants moved in in 2018. Today, even more companies are developing 3D-printed homes, including Chinese company WinSun, San Francisco– and Moscow-based Apis Cor, and Austin-based ICON.¹ This means that fully 3D-printed houses will eventually be incorporated into mass consumerism, surely. In fact, very recently (in February of 2021), a company called SQ4D listed the first 3D-printed house in the US for sale. The home (located in Riverhead, New York) is currently listed online with an asking price of US $299,999. This brings up the question: will these types of houses become the new norm? And more importantly, are 3D-printed houses the future of architecture? Well, only time will tell.