This 3-D Printed Home Can Withstand an 8.0 Earthquake It may not be the most beautiful home you've ever seen, but it's safe and was efficient to build.
By Rose Leadem
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Speed and customizability are highly sought-after qualities in today's impatient world. From gourmet foods to earthquake-proof houses, 3-D printing is foreshadowing a bright future filled with low-cost homes and rapid production processes.
Recently, Beijing architecture firm HuaShang Tengda put the finishing touches on an indestructible mansion that it 3-D printed and manufactured in just 45 days, Digital Trends reports. The house has the capability to withstand an 8.0 earthquake, and while the architects don't disclose its price on their website, they do mention its relatively "low cost" compared to homes built from more expensive materials on a longer timeline.
After developing new software to guide the manufacturing process, HuaShang has high hopes for the future of construction. Rather than printing and manufacturing parts at various locations -- which is a common technique for erecting large 3-D-printed structures -- HuaShang Tengda built the entire villa on site, alleviating the difficult task and high cost of transporting heavy parts.
With these new developments, HuaShang Tengda hopes to lay the foundation for the future of 3-D printing. The architects envision this type of housing for rural farmers and those in need, and they even foresee the potential for building skyscrapers.
On its website, HuaShang Tengda summarizes the merits of the brave new 3-D-printed world it hopes to create: "Because of its speed, low cost, simple and environmentally friendly raw materials, [it should] generally improve the quality of people's lives.
