3D-printed houses are sustainable, affordable, and quick to build. But could all that efficiency lead to a new kind of cookie-cutter suburban housing?
Perched in the rocky, rolling, cactus-filled foothills of Desert Hot Springs, California, midway between Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, is the sleek prototype of a 3D printed home known as the “Mighty Quatro.” Designed by Culver City architects EYRC and built by automated home manufacturer Mighty Buildings, the flat, rectangular abode, faced with textured 3D printed panels and tall, rectangular windows, is the first of almost two dozen that will soon help fill a gated community here.
Oakland-based Mighty Buildings asserts that its homes are twice as fast to build, 99 percent less waste-generating, far more precisely-crafted, and (thanks to its stone-like composite) four times stronger than conventional residences. When it launched in 2017, it planned to create one-off lodgings for discerning homeowners. But their model has since shifted dramatically in favor of projects like this one, in which they partner with homebuilders to create larger developments.
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