3D-Printed Affordable Housing

Printed house. © Apir Cor.

This house, printed on site by a 3D-printer on the grounds of an aerated concrete factory in Stupino, a town about 100km south of Moscow, demonstrates how additive technology could revolutionize some aspects of construction. The product of a joint endeavour between Apis Cor, a 3D-printing company, and PIK Group, a leading residential builder in Russia, and printed in just 24 hours, the house is on the small side (400ft², or 38m²). And though the printer took care of the concrete structure, human intervention was still required for other aspects of the building, such as insulation, roofing, doors and windows, interior finishes, plumbing, wiring, etc. Even so, the house only cost US$10,130 to build, the lion’s share of the budget (US$3,550) going to doors and windows. This brings construction cost down to US$223 per m², far lower than traditional construction methods, and 70% less than a traditional reinforced concrete and cement block construction. Not to mention the speed of construction and now-affordable architectural features like curved walls.

⇨ Apis Cor, “The first on-site house has been printed in Russia.”

⇨ Washington Post, “This start-up will 3D print your house…for $10K.”