Property

A 3D-printed house: €10,000 ‘urban igloo’ was built in a day

Creator Apis Cor saved more than 70% on usual construction costs, including labour

Nikita Chen-yun-tai, founder of Apis Cor which built the house, said: “The construction process needs to become fast, efficient and high-quality. For this to happen we need to delegate all the hard work to smart machines”

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Rosita Boland
Mon Mar 6 2017 - 13:00

There is infinite capacity for what 3D printers may yet do. It has already given us furniture, medical devices and household items. Now Apis Cor, a California-based start-up, has 3D-printed a house in Russia in 24 hours. The resulting video has gone viral.

Following a recent popular Irish Times story about a house made out of shipping containers, there is clearly huge interest in new methods of creating affordable housing.

The Russian house, a round, flat-roofed kind of urban igloo, measures 38sq m (409sq ft). It cost $10,143 (€9,566)to build.

It was made possible by a new kind of crane-sized 3D mobile printing machine, and it was printed on site in a snowy location in Russia.

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More than 70 per cent of usual construction costs were saved: labour being one.

A California based start-up have given a glimpse into the future of construction by 3D-printing a house in 24 hours. Video: Apis Cor

If this could be duplicated many times over, the advantages of creating low-cost housing in any urban area of the world are clear.

Nikita Chen-yun-tai, founder of Apis Cor, said in a statement: “We want to help people around the world to improve their living conditions. That’s why the construction process needs to become fast, efficient and high-quality as well. For this to happen we need to delegate all the hard work to smart machines.”

Our world could be transformed by 3D printing technology – and perhaps beyond. There are even mutterings that the humans who may make it to Mars will bring 3D printers with them, to make what they need there.