is this like one of those it’s so ugly it’s beautiful things?
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In terms of heating and cooling, thermal mass is your friend. Dense walls built of material with a high storage capacity (concrete, adobe) are critical to reducing mechanical cooling in hot/dry environments. Likewise, in colder climates thermal mass + proper glazing reduces heating loads.
This FLW house in Madison, WI is a great example- as the sun passes through the granite floors and stone walls are loaded with thermal energy, significantly reducing the need for mechanical heating overnight.
Unfortunately the people are left darting around seeking out shade as the sun moves across the southern aspect.
Except they can have the slab heated if you like, so your cold ass won’t be hurtin
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you could glaze the walls, or anything you like. Open your mind
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nearly all roofing materials have an overhang, as you don’t want to get wet as soon as you open the door, do you? Plus you don’t want drippings at the footing. it is bad for the structure
A little dramatic, don’t you think? If you live in a cold climate, would you rather cut your heating bills by at least half, and move around a little bit, or pay full freight so you can remain motionless all day long?
And also, it’s just an example?
Overhanging eaves keep the outer walls in the shade, making the inside cooler. People in Central America will appreciate that.
I can only answer for myself. Having lived for periods in Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto, my opinion is based on experience, not speculation. If I’m sitting in direct sunlight – especially close to a window where you can feel the warmth – I get a queasiness in my stomach akin to motion sickness. Even here in moderate Vancouver, in winter months when the sun is low, I have to change cafes because I can’t handle being in direct sunlight. I can, however, see my reflection in a mirror … so there’s that.
Re your original post, I understand the benefits of having that high thermal mass, and I like the look of that sunny space; I just couldn’t exist in it myself. Sort of like the tourist shots of beaches compared to the reality of wet sand stuck between one’s toes.
The machine has a size limit – I’m assuming the example represents that limit. The roofs aren’t made by the machine so there’s no reason not to have them overhang (or as pointed out by the other responses it’s desirable to have them overhang)
I’m more concerned about durability in storms and earthquake resistance. Wasn’t a a big part of the reason the quake in Haiti was so disastrous because the buildings there are cheap and made without reinforcement, similar to this one?
FTFY
it’s the roomba that would be pleased.
where?
The context of this house is not suburbia, or down the street from Lowes. The context of this house is a) post disaster, and b) 3rd world.
It’ seems a lot faster than other methods of putting up walls, and uses a single material to do so. What other wall systems would you propose as more apt? Since you’re complaining I assume you have a better cheaper option, on hand, and a citation of it’s costs and availability in the markets this is supposed to serve?
I don’t mind if your opinion is different from the post, I happen to believe your opinion is incorrect.
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The economics are particularly surprising because ‘developing world’ is exactly where you expect labor to be comparatively cheap and most resistant to automation on a pure cost basis.
It probably is a good place to avoid having your novel construction technique founder against entrenched HOAs or building codes written to imply that only the old ways are legal; but not the location where you’d find yourself crying out for a robot to replace the expensive construction crew.
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There’s a really good reason why concrete is delivered in big batches on big trucks that can keep it moving and dispense it quickly. This seems like a perfect solution for making walls almost entirely out of improperly/inconsistently cured and unreinforced concrete. Just what the third world needs more of. Also as others have pointed out, doing electrical work to code in surface-mount conduit is probably double the cost and quadruple the time of pulling romex in plastic boxes. Underslab plumbing is ridiculously expensive to troubleshoot and repair. A house that can not be easily maintained, repaired, modified, and/or updated as a family grows is not really a viable family home IMO.
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The $10k cost for building 100 linear feet of cinder block wall squares with some cost estimator websites I checked with, and include steel rebar, the cost of the footing, and a U.S. labor rate. I guarantee you it’s cheaper to build a cinder block wall in El Salvador than in the U.S. due to the cheaper labor rate. But it’s pretty hard to compare the overall time, cost and practicality differences between block wall construction and this 3D printing process when the article says nothing about what site preparation is required, what the foundation is, how plumbing is routed, etc.
The process described in the article may well be useful and cost effective in certain contexts, but as I said in my first post in this thread it’s really frustrating to me when people conflate the cost and time of building a set of walls to that of building a complete home.
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These 3d printed homes are concrete, even with admixtures, off-gassing should not be a problem. Now all the wood trim/plywood/vinyl incorporated into this structure could be an off-gassing issue.
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Not related to the OP but if anyone is visiting Austin for SXSW don’t pick up any unmarked packages. We have a serial bomber this month. Three package bombs have killed three people and injured a couple others.
Isn’t there a company that basically builds houses in a factory which then they ship to the location in modular form? Not like mobile homes (single or double wides) but actual houses. I remember seeing a video of the process years ago I just don’t remember what the name of the company was.
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