Featured Image Credit: Shelby Church / YouTube
YouTuber Shelby Church recently checked out a new innovation in the real estate market, a 3D-printed house.
The company behind the project is ICON, and they’ve created something called House Zero to show what is 'truly possible with 3D printing,' according to Dmitri Julius, ICON chief people officer.
The construction begins with shipping the 3D printer to the construction site. Here, it can be assembled by four people in an hour.
Once set up, it prints layers of concrete, cutting down on the amount of workers, labour and time needed to manually build a house.
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Dmitri highlights that the walls have no straight lines at all, which is intentional.
"We really wanted to use curvature and really have this architecture meet nature," he described.
Inside, the cabinetry is standard and man-made but it rests on the concrete walls, giving the space a sleek and minimalistic look.
"So you can see the concrete as a design element, but it's also very functional," Shelby said.
Some rooms even keep the concrete exposed as a design element.
For the bathrooms, plaster covers the concrete to give it an aesthetic appeal.
In the bedroom, the walls are covered with the company's 'proprietary lava crate material' which 'performs just like masonry' so things can be nailed and mounted on the walls.
However, viewers are divided on the durability and practicality of the 3D-printed walls.
Some people believe they look 'promising' but have their setbacks.
"This looks promising but I can't imagine how much dust these walls collect over time compared to flat walls. And like another person commented: In colder climates, you'd need more insulation than that," the second YouTube comment read.
"The house looks really nice, the curved walls add to the intrinsic design and also the staging was spot on. Only concern is how difficult must be to dust off clean all those layers of concrete that form the interior walls. And lets see the exterior walls how well they perform in terms of stains and dirt in the short term," wrote another.
However, other viewers have praised the structure, saying: "The super strong structure along with the modern aesthetic is right up my alley."
Another remarked: "My favorite thing about the concrete walls is that it emphasizes the horizontal. Vertical emphasis is more dramatic, but can also be more intimidating and stressful. Horizontal emphasis is naturally more welcoming and relaxing."
Nonetheless, the style and structure of the houses have been praised as a solution for the chronically homeless, providing stylish small houses as alternatives to the current low-income housing.
