Videos of 3D-homebuilding are racking up tens of millions of views and helping people envision a world in which affordable 3D-printed houses are the new norm
But despite the growing potential of the 3D-printed homebuilding industry, challenges still exist that could hamper its mainstream expansion. For one thing, demand is very high but availability is extremely limited.Since it was founded in 2020, Alquist has completed two 3D-printed house builds, one in Williamsburg, Va., and one in Richmond, Va. The idea of 3D-printed houses has also been gaining popularity in recent years.
“There’s nothing different about one of our homes versus any other home except that the exterior walls are made out of concrete instead of wood. These homes are built nearly identically otherwise,” Mannheimer says. “Our process just involves extruding concrete from a giant robot, which gives you savings in time and labor and material.
Following the success of its first two 3D-printed homes, Alquist is working on a new project related to affordable housing, to be announced at the end of April.Alquist’s machines pump out layers of concrete on top of each other to construct a physical objectWith the White House estimating that the U.S. has a shortage of as many as, the problem goes beyond anything that a viral TikTok could solve on its own.