We’ve seen how 3D printing can be used to create prototypes of products on the fly. However, we’ve also seen it used for larger scale projects, where over in the Netherlands, they managed to 3D print a steel bridge. We’ve also seen it used in the military where the US Marines 3D printed concrete barracks in a fraction of the time it would normally take.
However, a project in Mexico might have taken the cake as over in Tabasco, Mexico, it will be playing home to the world’s first 3D printed neighborhood. This will consist of a community of 50 3D printed homes which were created as a collaboration between New Story and ICON. This project is being done in a bid to combat global homelessness.
This doesn’t mean that the homes will be created entirely using 3D printing as human workers are still needed for certain tasks, such as attaching the roof and doors, as well as the plumbing. However, the use of 3D printing will help to automate most of the building process which will make it faster and more efficient than regular building.
According to Brett Hagler, the CEO of New Story, “The big idea is to open source and democratize and try to get this technology into the hands of other housing non-profits and other governments that have agendas to solve very serious problems in their towns and their cities.”