The first family in the world to live in a 3D printed house

A family in France became the first in the world to settle in a 3D printed house. The four-bedroom property is a prototype for larger projects aimed at making home building faster and cheaper. Could it bring about a change in the building industry?

With curved walls designed to reduce the effects of moisture and digital controls for people with disabilities, this home could be a costly accomplishment of an architect's vision. print – with four extra months for contractors to add in things such as windows, doors and the roof – its cost of around £ 176,000 to build makes it 20% cheaper than an identical construction using more traditional solutions.

believe that they could print the same house in just 33 hours.

The outline of the four chambers and the large central space are created

]

Image caption The printer is then used to print layers of soil up to form the walls

95m (1022ft) square house – built for A family of fi With four bedrooms and a large central area in Nantes, this is a collaboration between the city council, a housing badociation and the University of Nantes.

Francky Trichet, leader of the Technology and Innovation Council, indicates that the purpose of the project was to see if this type of construction could become commonplace for housing, and if its principles could be applied to other communal buildings. , such as sports halls.

He believes that the process will disrupt the construction industry.

The gap between the two blocks of the printer is filled with cement for to form the wall

"For 2000 years, there was no change in the paradigm of the construction process, we wanted to sweep away this entire construction process," he says.

"That's why I say we're at the beginning of a story.We just wrote:" Once upon a time. "

Now, he says, their work will" force " private enterprises to "take the pen" and continue the story.

Image caption The house took 54 hours to print

The house was built in a neighborhood north of the city and was partially funded by the council. 19659002] Nordine and Nouria Ramdani, with their three children, were the lucky ones chosen to live there.

"It's a great honor to be part of this project," says Nordine

. It's a big change for us.

"It's really great to be able to live in a place where there is a garden and to have a house."

How does it work?

The house is designed in a studio by a team of chitects and scientists ar and then programmed into a 3D printer

The printer is then brought to the site of the house.

It works by printing in layers from the ground upwards. Each wall consists of two layers of insulating polyurethane, with a gap between the two that is filled with cement

This creates a thick, insulated and fully durable wall.

The windows, the doors and the roof are then equipped. And, voila, you have a house.

The house was created by Benoit Furet, who directs the project at the University of Nantes. 19659002] He thinks that in five years they will reduce the cost of building these houses by 25% while respecting building regulations, and by 40% in 10 to 15 years. This is partly due to the fact that technology is becoming more sophisticated and cheaper and that economies of scale are being felt as houses are built.

The printing press also allows architects to be much more creative.

For example, the house of Nantes was built to curl around protected centenarian trees on the plot

The curve also improves the air circulation of the house, reducing the potential of Humidity and improving the thermal resistance.

The Nantes building was also designed for people with disabilities, with wheelchair access and the ability to control everything from a smartphone.

It is also more environmentally friendly than traditional construction, since there is no waste. 19659002]

Image caption The house has four bedrooms ]

Mr. Furet's drea He is now creating a suburban neighborhood with the same principles of construction.

He says he's currently working on a project in the north of Paris to print 18 houses.

He also works on a large commercial building that "Social housing is something that touches me personally," says Furet.

Image legend Benoit Furet says he wanted to combine social housing and modern architecture

"I was born in a working-clbad city. "

"I lived in a small house." My parents – who are very old now – still live in the same house.

"The street is a row of small houses, one to side of the other, all identical.

"And here I wanted to create a house that is a social housing, but with a much more modern architecture."