You Can Now Live In A 3D-Printed Prefab Home Made With Old Plastic Bottles
It’s no secret 3D-printed homes have been steadily gaining popularity, with choices ranging from a spherical house you can set up in under a day, to a full neighborhood of 3D-printed homes, or even barracks to be used by the United States Army.
Now, Los Angeles-based Azure is upping the sustainability ante of its 3D-printed prefab homes by opting to use recycled plastic to construct its buildings, which it says is “vastly better for the environment than traditional building and the use of concrete.”
By making use of plastic that was already on the way to landfills or polluting the oceans, the company believes this could be the next step in closing the loop and moving closer to a circular economy that recovers resources and reduces waste.
The world’s first 3D-printed Backyard Studio homes were unveiled at the opening of the firm’s Culver City factory this June, with the 15,000-square-foot facility expected to churn out several homes a day to meet the increasing demand.
By using its innovative technology, Azure said it will be able to build homes in less than a day, 70% faster and using 30% fewer costs than traditional methods, which will be put to the test when it begins work on a site for 14 prefabricated houses later this year.
More than 60% of the printing materials will come from waterproof plastic polymer extracted from plastic bottles and food packaging waste.
According to the firm, the community, being overseen by Oasis Development, will become the first group of homes to have its structures entirely 3D-printed using the same waste material repurposing techniques.
“We have created production efficiencies not only by capitalizing on the advances in 3D printing but by creating a design and process that is completed in only 20 hours,” said Ross Maguire, Azure’s CEO.
“By revolutionizing a new age of home building with our sustainable, automated, and exact production processes, we see a very, very exciting future ahead,” he added.
