Tiny homes may not be too comfortable to live in, but there’s still a vibrant market for homes like this. According to Business Insider, in the US, the demand for tiny houses has skyrocketed in the past few years, with potential customers sometimes having to wait for months to buy products.
The limited supply chain makes construction difficult, plus the high cost of materials and labor makes the cost of small houses tend to increase.
But Icon, a 3D printing construction company based in Texas, has a solution to these problems. Icon says 3D printing can build homes faster and more sustainably, at less cost than traditional construction methods. Icon has been experimenting with their latest projects.
3D-printed cottages are slowly growing across the globe and are popping up in countries like Canada and Japan. Icon is testing their home-building technology in the heart of Austin, Texas.
The main house has a size of 185 m2
In March, the company introduced House Zero, a 3D printed house measuring more than 185 square meters, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms,…
It also has a 32 square meter adjoining annex (ADU) with one bedroom, one bathroom. The outbuilding was 3D printed at the same time as the main house using the company’s large Vulcan printer system and “lavacrete” material, which combines cement with high-grade additives to help withstand extreme weather. .
The annex has an area of only 32 m2, but don’t “look at the face but catch the picture”
It took 8 days to print both homes, regardless of weather conditions because the Vulcan printer can operate indoors, reducing construction time from weeks to months compared to “traditional” methods. .
Constructed by 3D printing, the walls of House Zero look very different from ordinary houses, but this also makes it stand out.
Take a look inside the outbuilding, a small but perfect residence for visiting guests.
The annex is located in the backyard, with a design full of natural light. Although the area is only 32 m2, it is fully equipped with a bed, a kitchen and a bathroom.
The first space you see when you open the door is the bedroom, with a television, floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
Due to the small space, the kitchen is located just a few meters from the bed.
The kitchen area has basic equipment such as a sink, dishwasher, refrigerator, stove and cabinets.
Nearby is a wardrobe and a bathroom.
The bathroom is quite large compared to the house of only 32 square meters. Like the master bathroom in House Zero’s larger home, the bathroom in the annex has beautifully curved walls thanks to a 3D printing system.
The curved wall turns the shower space into a separate area and looks much more stylish.
Aside from the shower, the room had all the essentials of a typical bathroom and felt quite spacious, well decorated.
Overall, despite its small size, the outbuilding looks like a luxurious getaway. The folding bed creates a flexible space, allowing the home to be used as a guest bedroom, office or studio space.
It may be very small, but the layout and large windows help occupants feel more spacious than many other typical apartments of the same size. Cozy interiors and natural light further enhance comfort.
This isn’t Icon’s first foray into small living spaces. In 2020, Icon printed and built a series of 37-square-foot homes for Austin residents.
But unlike the tiny houses that came before it, House Zero is the first to be designed to be built entirely with robots, as a way to demonstrate the technological prowess of Icon, Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO of Icon, said in an interview.
He added, “Icon is a potential player in the rapidly growing micro 3D printer segment.”
Reference: BusinessInsider