The rise of 3D Printed Homes

Over the last year, 3D homes have become increasingly talked about, being able to be erected in some instances in under a week, all the building materials are prefabricated off site where they are printed to the precise dimensions. Houses that are 3D printed can vary in shape and composition which means 3D printed buildings can be crafted into shapes that would be impossible to construct with traditional techniques. Furthermore, there is no material waste on these projects making them very sustainable.

A house that best highlights this is a prototype project called Tecla House, by Mario Cucinealla Architects, constructed in Massa Lombara, Italy. The property is made up of 350 stacked layers of printed clay. The clay is arranged in undulating layers which provides a thermal barrier, providing the property with insulation, but also adds to the structural strength of the building.

The building is able to achieve its striking shape by using a multileveled, modular 3D printer that uses two arms that can print modules simultaneously within a 50m squared area.

The project is not only fascinating from an architectural point of view but also from a climate perspective. All the clay for the project is sourced locally sourced, clay as a building material has many advantages as it is an excellent insulator because of its high thermal mass, meaning it absorbs, stores and releases heat very efficiently making the building material cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. This means that the internal rooms are at a comfortable temperature and reduces the properties energy demands. Additionally, being built completely out of clay is a far less intensive carbon-intensive materials compared to traditional buildings