The 3D printed house that can be built in less than three hours: dream or reality?

    Who wouldn't want a home that was sustainable, affordable and furnished with all comforts at the same time? What if it was also built within a few hours, in order to minimize the environmental impact of a construction site? It seems like a dream, yet it is really happening in China, where the ZhuoDa Group company presented a prototype of a modular house that could revolutionize the entire sector.



    He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

    Who wouldn't want a home that was sustainable, affordable and furnished with all comforts at the same time? And if it were also built in a few hours, in order to minimize the environmental impact of a construction site? It seems like a dream, yet it is really happening in China, where the company ZhuoDa Group presented a modular house prototype that could revolutionize the entire sector.



    Last week, at theInternational Exhibition Center Plaza in the Chinese city of Weihai, ZhouoDa Group ha assembled in just three hours, in front of an audience of insiders and onlookers, a two-storey modular house, made with 6 3D printed panels.

    The 3D printed house that can be built in less than three hours: dream or reality?

    The modules, weighing about 100 kg per square meter, were assembled directly on site with the help of a crane. It is not known what material they are made of (we speak, generically, of a "special" material) nor have further details been disclosed regarding their production and implementation. All that is known is that they are very resistant and that they are applied on a steel frame.

    The building assembled for demonstration purposes - consisting of kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, bathroom and service rooms - is equipped with interior furnishings, electrical and plumbing systems, some appliances and even curtains and other decorative elements. And its final cost, including all internal and external components, is about $ 564 per square meter: a real bargain, in short.

    The 3D printed house that can be built in less than three hours: dream or reality?

    "Thanks to our special material, the assembly of the houses is really fast." - has explained Tan BuYong, vicepresidente di ZhuoDA Group - “Since 90% of the houses we build were assembled in the factory before the actual construction on site, we only need some follow-up work on site to be able to complete the construction. This allows to avoid the pollution caused by traditional construction sites, as well as to drastically reduce construction costs [...] "

    In fact, eliminating the construction site allows you to reduce economic and environmental costs related to the transport of materials and the use of machinery and labor for long periods of time. Furthermore, according to Tan, the innovative building material used by the company comes from industrial and agricultural waste and would be able to withstand earthquakes of magnitude 9.0, as well as withstand fire and water. The company also assures that it does not contain harmful substances, such as formaldehyde or ammonia, but does not offer evidence to support its claims and assurances.



    "A traditional villa requires a construction period of at least six months, while our 3D module villas are ready in just ten days, from the start of production in our factory to final assembly at a specific construction site." - he added An Yongliang, engineer of the Group.

    So far, ZhouDa Group has unveiled 22 patent applications related to the new material, has signed contracts for more than 40 projects with local authorities and expects to reach the (very ambitious) target of 2 billion square meters of production capacity by 2016.

    Beyond the company's aspirations, modular homes built in this way could effectively minimize the problems traditionally associated with construction - such as pollution, land use, illegalization… Too good to be true?

    In fact, the mystery about the identity of the material used in the realization of the modules: an unspoken that prevents, at least for the moment, from believing 100% in the goodness and sustainability of the project. Why so much secrecy? Is it really a harmless product for the environment and human health? Which raw materials and substances are actually used in the production and processing stages?



    All that remains is to wait for the development of the project to find out if, at least for this time, the dream of a sustainable, economical and equipped with all comforts home will become reality.

    Lisa Vagnozzi

    Photo Credit

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