Exposing 5 LIES about 3D Printed Concrete Homes

[@BelindaCarr]

What do you think about 3D printed concrete construction? Do you see the potential or is it just a gimmick? I also stayed at ICON's 3D printed concrete house in Austin! Check out my review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKTGl36aprGqhtE

[@lynnesteele9682]

Concrete is very hard on the planet. Here is how an Italian company is experimenting with using dirt from the construction site mixed with fibers such as hemp, rice or whatever is bountiful in the area. The excavation from near the building leave a pond to catch roof runoff. I would love to get some of these buildings printed in the US so that people can contemplate living differently. The Tecla is such an "ohm" looking space. Maybe a "house" could be a small structure for cooking, eating and sleeping adjacent to a more storage oriented structure for clothes, tools, things not needed that day. Thank you for the video. I love the Building Science knowledge you shared. I hope you like the video from 3-DWasp. The title is as you mentioned, exaggerated on price. But they did not make the video. It is an article by someone else. I would think the bulk of the cost is moving, erecting, calibrating and operating the machine. The printers, which I think look like frosting a cake with a frosting bag are also hard to scale, but 3-D wasp can do 3 stories, in Italy. Sad face. The company also experiments with printing all kinds of materials. Very "researchy." They have made some lovely replicas of art objects and simply interesting things with spirals and layering. kzbin.info/www/bejne/an6ve6ZngLeUZrs

[@MrMeow-iq7kq]

I think its interesting... although like any new technology, its value is going to be cheapened by the lies and misinformation about it. Despite that, I do not think its a gimmick. It already works. Rather or not it catches on and becomes viable on the large scale is another matter. Not to mention the many other construction materials and methods worth looking into lately. I think many people will be put off by the wall look though, even if it does have its own appeal. Personally I was wondering how it handles insulation. I don't think my own walls are half as thick as 3D printed ones! Also I notice your comment is from 2 months ago? Yet the video is well over a year old?

[@nimajnebbazile1967]

Thanks for the great knowledge!!!! U are AWESOME!!!

[@ruudvantiel725]

As a mechanical engineer having worked in the production as well as in the product development field, also working with a wide Range of AM ( additive Manufacturing) technologies I will say this: At best it will deserve a niche application where on site construction is worth considering for very unique architecture, however a one by one production of any product will never beat the power of a well automated production line, as engineer like myself and tweak and optimize a production line, control all the variables that arent necessarily under control when on site, and have access to far wide number of utilities in order to have a efficient and reliable production of products. It is more likely that Prefab or Half Fabricate technologies will take a strong lead in the construction industry depending on Area and Logistical requirements. But thank you @belinda for showing and educating people on the reality of these overhyped Media Cannons In the end of it all it comes down to 2 things The quality and performance of the final product, And the required investment. Keep up the good work!

[@AB_anonhominid]

I could see printed shells being used for structures of an organic or complex nature being placed in the normal 48" to 72" lifts used in masonry type structures then reinforced and filled in for strength. Cavities could be incorporated for utilities and insulation. The sourcing the concrete itself could be problematic as any mix would need an engineered specifically for that lift, based on the project size, portability, placement speed, slump, pump and, cure times between layers. Adding additives also does tend to weaken things; although adding fiber reinforcing to the mix would lessen shear cracking vertically within each layer I doubt it would help avert cracking once the project settled in the future. Outside of specific limited applications I don't see many uses that can't be substituted for other proven systems.

[@MCOGroupNews]

"The arrogance of designers and architects really shines when they talk about homelessness" Dam, you're right though

[@yunan9610]

It's like saying, if you're homeless, you should just buy a house.

[@penguinsrockrgr8yt216]

Me waiting for the housing market to crash

[@oceanbytez847]

@@yunan9610 they spend more time designing hostile architecture aka anti-homeless architecture than they do actually trying to design affordable housing lol.

[@HarenunHoppus]

And they are overpriced in some cases, its like they care about the money more than the ones who need a place to stay

[@valentinmitterbauer4196]

In a few countries there are "mailbox homes" (idk what's the best translation). One big problem for the homeless is that, in order to "get back on track" and find a job, they need an adress, not even a house, just a place where they can recieve their mail. While some more digitalised countries circumvented this problem by introducing the possibility to recieve all mail virtually (so you only need an e-mail adress and a device) this is difficult in more old- fashioned countries. So there are houses, homeless shelters mostly, that provide you with their adress, so your mail has a place to go. Homeless shelters have many other problems, but this seems like a good idea to help those homeless who actually want to rejoin the working population.

[@floatsomboy]

Having grown up in Africa let me put forward my two cents. the issue is not a housing issue in Africa the issue is Africans by nature tend to be semi nomadic so move to where the work resources are. I have seen traditional mud huts that were over 50 years old, they don't need some tech company to build them something they can build from the earth. They need a static place to stay with the required resources infrastructure and work. Unfortunately political issues don't always allow this.

[@redneek24]

Where do you live now?

[@chadjazeera9960]

Well said.

[@apotheosisofarose1425]

Yessss so tired of hearing about businesses failing due to bad government regulations and massive donations replacing the seller's market

[@gillianmogomotsidambe1338]

Curious which African country did you live in?? You are mis infomed or your information is outdated ...

[@floatsomboy]

@@gillianmogomotsidambe1338 I have lived in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. And yes I have seen shanty towns and townships and have lived both in towns and rurally. I have seen the urbanisation of the people over the years as more and more move to urban areas into townships looking for work.

[@apex007]

I never understood why 3d printing concrete walls is an advantage to preformed panels. Only thing I can think of is shipping, but the same will apply to the shipping of raw materials

[@sparksmcgee6641]

Its not an advantage to manufacture concrete on site. Show me a 3d printer that beats Martin Marieta ready mix for quality and price. They never will.

[@MinkieWinkle]

to be honest, for basic straight walls there isn't any real advantage at all. block wall will go up faster, and is cheap. can be bought anywhere. a decent bricky can lay 100 to 200 blocks in a day, easy.. to a recommended height of 16 blocks high, for higher levels, time is needed to allow the cement to set. 16 block high walls are over 3m higher, more than high enough for that 3d printed garage as an example. a block equivalent could be done in a single day.

[@quartertwenty484]

You have to ship an enormous gantry to the site and install it, one taller and wider than the whole structure. Notice they always show a closeup of the print head, not the enormous structure it's riding on.

[@support2587]

I’ve used SIP on an addition and was able to do everything but the foundation. 3D walls scare me without rebar.

[@jackdeniston59]

Only actual point is making pretty shaped walls. 3D printing is way overhyped in all materials.

[@jeromyh8096]

As someone who spends a lot of time 3D printing, I get bombarded with questions about 3D printed homes all the time. I was skeptical from the beginning. 3D printing any item requires a calibration effort that is ongoing. The concrete can also be effected by weather at the time of printing too. Day time to night time temperature changes could create problems too.

[@dillzilla4454]

as someone who has a 3d printer with a 2000mm x 2000mm x 1000mm print volume, i find the idea of a house size 3d printer running without constant monitoring laughable. the more you scale a printer the more exponentially difficult it is to keep running. mine is a scaled up Troxy printer and i would almost always rather have the smaller printer for stability. its just that the stuff i print needs the scale

[@meal_team_6]

plus i would think those homes would crumble into ruins within a year of two from all the gaps due to it being printed and would lack the structural integrity of normal concrete

[@goldenhate6649]

Plus 0 reinforcement of any kind, so in earthquake prone areas this stuff would collapse instantly. Also, concrete that thin? Probably could accidentally punch a hole in it

[@meinbherpieg4723]

@@dillzilla4454 TBF this is something AI could potentially fix if a learning algorithm is developed to monitor output and calibration.

[@dillzilla4454]

@@meinbherpieg4723 no it can't. AI is another tool that has gotten almost as bad as 3D printing as far as people just cramming it into things that it doesn't belong in. AI is not going to calibrate the machine and ensure that it remains properly level. No matter how you look at it, that is going to take a group of people to do.

[@ethanallenhawley1052]

"The lies cheapen the value." Awesome statement.

[@digitalnomad9985]

The cost of 3D printed products does not drop as production volume increases in the same manner as manufactured products. The cost advantage of small scale prototyping with 3D printing come down to less cost for specialized tooling and faster prototype production. The cost of the manufactured printers might decrease with volume. Any manufactured fittings might be cheaper with scale, but that would not be different from existing methods.

[@PleaseDontDeleteMyComments]

This can be applied to so many different things.

[@Grunchy005]

Media has long been used to propagandize, they are accustomed to sensationalizing anything/everything. They almost can't help it!

[@Josh.1234]

@@Grunchy005 it sounds great and for some industries like metal printing, it is a game changer. But for building walls, it's just square peg trying to go in a round hole. Ask any builder who does formed concrete walls or ICF if they would switch.. answer is no. Costs more, more complex and offers no advantages. Walls are just to easy to build so it's not worth bringing/setting up a printer and the onsite mixing plant.

[@coopercummings8370]

@@digitalnomad9985 Maybe there is some place where they can strike a balance where it makes more sense to make a really big printer that can span multiple lots and print several houses in one go in a way that reduces the setup + teardown + transportation cost, but that is really stretching the limits of the benefit of the doubt because building bigger tends to increase prices pretty rapidly

[@morganahoff2242]

When I travelled in Ecuador, the trend in construction was to build the first floor of a house, and start living in it, and build the second floor when they had the money. There were houses all over with re-bar sticking up, anticipating the addition of a second floor. Then someone got the idea: build the second floor first, and live in a house up on stilts, until they could afford to build the first floor. This created a sheltered space beneath the house, that they could use for drying laundry, motorbike repairs, etc. This is the kind of shifts that occur in house construction techniques. Designers who think they're going to swoop in with a better way of doing things are deluded; innovation is local, situational, and incremental. Oh, and the houses with the re-bar sticking up just looked like the old way of doing things, even though the houses weren't finished yet.

[@margaesperanza]

Honestly the 2nd floor first idea is really smart! People can still utilize the space of their yet-to-be-built 1st floor.

[@pi_arjun]

Father makes the ground floor, son adds another floor before bringing in his wife. And if they want the house to be self sustaining through renting out, they add another floor. Welcome to Nepal.

[@ExtremeDeathman]

Great way to corrode your rebar down into the wall. No wonder houses there don't last. But I do understand their need for affordable shelter.

[@artemischo3500]

Sometimes they don't even put up many walls. Just enough support to build a second story. I saw a lot of these types of construction going through Montanita just this last year. Luckily the weather there is great, even in the coldest winters you will only need to wear a jacket for a few hours of the day...every few days (if even that). We were there end of Sept to the first week of Dec and only had to wear our jacket a total of 3 times for a couple hours. So needing walls wasn't too big of a concern. Their method of building is very fascinating. Also, they lived by the water so I can only assume many of them have had lost their homes or severe damage from flooding and hurricanes.

[@jesuslara6533]

in some countries, leaving re-bars sticking up has a second purpose. due to the house is "unfinished" they don't pay taxes for the building.

[@LucianCanad]

"Outsiders from the tech industry want to disrupt and automate the entire industry without realizing its intricacies" That's just standard tech people mentality, not only in regards to construction.

[@gigaus0]

Or it's people realizing that we have a problem right now with people working, and offered a real solution. No one wants to do construction when they could be a youtuber or a sales clerk. But no one wants robots because it'll make those non-existent jobs vanish, those non-existent people not be able to feed themselves. Meanwhile, we're seeing construction companies shutting down because *they don't have workers anymore because they all quit*.

[@koketsok1513]

@@gigaus0 this childish answer does not match reality,since lockdown construction jobs have been increasing as e market because more favoured and regards to clerk here is a hint (pay them more)an American must have written this ,as the idea that a worker(mcdonalds cashier,waiter,construction worker etc) shouldn't be paid a living wage for an 8 hour+shift is not tolerated in most of the developed world.Your solution is payment their will always be people going into industries but unless people fight like hell for better pay or get second jobs you cant be mad that the turnaround rate is high(eg we all scream, we doesn't have enough teachers and blame "Mah youtubers"why are people leaving a profession they have studied for years,shadow followed ,trained and finally landed as well as did further studying and academic workshops and leaving children who they grown fond to isnt "let me make Mah easy internet money" its payment.Just pay them more or dont get angy that people want the privilege of not worrying about bills.

[@michaelrichter9427]

@@gigaus0 Spotted the butthurt techie.

[@monad_tcp]

tech bubble is taking so long to burst...

[@berserkasaurusrex4233]

@@gigaus0 WTH are you on about?! Construction jobs are highly demanded, they pay damn well for one thing. And I have no idea why you'd bring up sales clerk as an alternative, that's just bonkers. Construction companies don't shut down from lack of workers; they shut down after finishing a project and then restart under a new name, to avoid liability lawsuits when the cheap housing project falls apart ten years later.

[@ntp9209]

As a retired residential builder, I was drawn to your video about 3D Printed Homes. I know very little about them, but nothing I’ve seen has me particularly excited about the technology. Your video was an immensely impressive, articulate, tour de force on the subject of these homes and on construction in general. It was very informative and a true pleasure to watch. I rarely take the time to even sign into KZbin, but after watching this video I felt compelled to subscribe to your channel and to thank you for your contribution. Thank you!

[@mikelander]

I mean the technology is very young, but I find the idea of 3d printing concrete incredibly appealing. If you could do more dynamic shapes for walls/structures/forms etc, the sky's the limit on what can be made, and the technology should only get better. Time will tell if it can realistically help with residential construction, but I'm still super excited for the technology irregardless.

[@nozrep]

yes!

[@sanyamonga8611]

I second every word 👍🏻

[@rayleblanc7209]

There is no ir in regardless. It's not a word. And 3D print houses is a gimmick .@@mikelander

[@unoriginalname4321]

​@@rayleblanc7209its "3D printed houses *are* a gimmick"

[@codetech5598]

"3D printing creates walls, not homes." *YES!*

[@eunoiavision7567]

Good border solution.

[@brandonvelde5774]

@@eunoiavision7567 lmao

[@peterfelts]

Yeah, I really liked that line.

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

You could equally say builders build houses not homes... or brick manufacturers make bricks not walls. Sounds good but bares little examination. One day someone will build a full house shell from 3D printed concrete and, like all concrete buildings, it will be massively ugly ...

[@joshdoeseverything4575]

@@I_Don_t_want_a_handle concrete is beautiful brutalism ftw

[@BigDaddyDenk]

“It seems to be a solution looking for a problem” what an eloquent way to summarize these sensationalized, ambitious trends. Thank you for being able to articulate your thoughts so well, I’m happy I found this channel.

[@sammygee7125]

The problem is that housing is unaffordable due to artificially inflated real estate prices in the US. The problem is very obvious. The solutions may not be ideal or complete yet, but the problem they are attempting to solve is very clear. Just because something is 'eloquent' (it's not) doesn't mean it has any value beyond sounding pretty. Of all the lines in the whole video to openly agree with, you picked the stupidest one with the least value. Congratulations.

[@Shwaaahdy]

Its a common phrase in design.

[@MykiiMescal]

@@sammygee7125 but that problem isn’t compatible with this solution there isn’t a housing shortage

[@cadaverdogblix7448]

@@sammygee7125 congratulations to you and your, now public ignorance

[@outerspaceisalie]

@@MykiiMescal yes there is, how do you not think there is a housing shortage? There are literally too few homes. If there are more homes, the cost of homes goes down. Prices are driven by scale of surplus and price elasticity. More homes = cheaper homes. Cheaper homes = more accessibility and lower rents. A large surplus causes a price drop. Building many more homes causes a large surplus. Stop believing things you hear on social media or buzzfeed and go take an econ class.

[@dovahkindragonborn9827]

as someone who has been in charge of a few construction projects, walls are the least of my problems lol of all the problems i need to solve, walls aren't one of them

[@richyrich88]

Dude, she made some really good points, i never thought of. Im not in the industry, but this is a facinating topic.

[@tomglenn3040]

Back in the 1970s I installed drapes in a house in Arlington, Tx. By the time the fabric mill printed and shipped the fabric for the last room of drapes the vacant lot across the street had been cleared, foundation poured, and the house framed, and roof decking installed. A few custom requests can take longer than constructing the whole house.

[@ironmonkey1512]

Framing is the easiest part and done in a day or two. It's everything else that takes months.

[@cnutsack]

I'll be hiring a company to build a house from zero. Problem is, I live in a super corrupt country. What should I watch out for/what could they cheat me on?

[@bradroon5538]

@@cnutsack the highest cost per square foot is your footers/foundation. If your frost levels and soils allow, a full basement adds OST room for the buck and stabilizes your building temperature, helping to cool in the heat and warm in the cold.

[@cedric3973]

I have been involved in the 3d printing space for 11 years and have used them in many industries and have even built several of my own and your breakdown was spot on regarding all of your points. Well done.

[@JoeKyser]

Me too but 3d printed homes is a beast of its own. Thats a major part of the problem here.

[@tomruth9487]

I'm a cabinetmaker and have also worked in the architectural cast concrete industry. I can't imagine trying to clean concrete printed backsplashes in kitchens. It will not age well in that area. Also, hanging cabinets has got to be difficult. I think sealing windows and doors has got to have some issues along with waterproofing floor to wall joints. It's sort of like self-driving cars. Everyone wants it to work, but in reality, it's maybe a ways off yet.

[@bryck7853]

Is it much different than designing & CNC laser engraver (CO2-80W 5'x9'x2.5' cabinet), or CNC Mill 4x4 using MasterCAM or CNC router (11'x 4') using Inventor? I've designed, built, program and used them until I retired in 2018. What Autodesk (my most experience) product do you use to build CNC machines. I suppose I should start plastic (like ABS?) before going straight to laser sintering metal powder, right?

[@bryck7853]

Most people didn't get early computers that were good like Commodore. "Early Adapters" find the problems before the main product stream gets involved. If early adopters don't find solutions to the problem, the technology is shelved until the solution is found -- or the whole project is deemed economically unfeasible. That is called progress. EARLY ADAPTERS FOREVER!

[@JoeKyser]

@@bryck7853 its all so closely related. The difference is the materials. The technology that powers the tools is all basically the same

[@georgehorvath83]

"I'm sure people will call me a buzz kill" - yes, and I am eternally thankful to you for doing this! Finally, not everyone is just riding a hype but actually formulating constructive criticism.

[@geekdivaherself]

Literally.

[@StrongFreeLovin]

I stopped believing any hype since Cyberpunk 2077 and Fallout 76.

[@StrongFreeLovin]

Marketing is everything today.

[@backwardsbandit8094]

"Constructive criticism" nice pun

[@inshadowz]

Some buzzes need killing. “Killing them softly with these words…”

[@pillullis]

I can see why this lady gets a lot of flak from the people she criticizes: She talks facts!

[@KefkeWren]

No she doesn't.

[@Number1FanProductions]

@@KefkeWren why

[@damsapollo]

@@KefkeWren give some insights on why she's not giving away facts.

[@justin01144]

@@KefkeWren please feel free to explain where she lied at? She give educated critism and point of views. You just don't like it coming from a woman who isn't white.

[@badhomecooking5102]

@KefkeWren don’t understand your logic. A simple couple google searches can give you the info so just look it up and you can post the facts you find from trustworthy sources and post your sources. If you find any information that directly contradicts or gives more additional or more accurate information I would be happy to see it.

[@CurtisHendricks]

This is what is the hardest about being a grownup(i.e. mature), having to do honest talks and sometimes being a buzzkill. Still though, realistic and honest reviews of exciting technologies such as this is what I think will actually make them truly successful in a much shorter time frame that all the marketing hype. The hype in most cases have great intentions but can really lead to negative outcomes by setting unrealistic expectations. Thanks for the info and your channel Belinda, we need more like this for sure.

[@BelindaCarr]

Thank you, Curtis!

[@tmoney1876]

I've been called a buzzkill before when I start pointing out issues with these kinds of technologies. Most things that people say will revolutionize a mature industry don't.

[@oldschoolman1444]

@@BelindaCarr nice work and really like your videos. Being in construction for over thirty five it's nice to see honest overviews of new techniques and their limitations.

[@cameronturner7475]

I'm in the construction industry and build alot with concrete. Concrete block, poured concrete, tilt up and ICF. Not all cement is the same. The cement they are using in 3D printing is mortar mix and has no structural strength. Structural concrete gets its strength from the rock that is added in the mix it should have enough rock to break above 3500psi. I'd like to see a break test on this and see how it breaks. With no rock in it it probably breaks below 2500psi. It's like building a block wall using only stacked up mortar joints and no blocks. Concrete can handle compression loads but does not do well with torsion loads, tension loads, shearing loads, etc. When it is used in a structure steel rebar must be added in order to handle the different loads. You can take base cement powder, just portland and wet it down and it will harden and take a compression load but it is very brittle. When you add an amount of sand it will become less brittle and tolerate a higher load, add an amount of rock and it will handle an even higher load depending on the size, shape and amount of the rock. A mix containing crushed rock will handle more load than a gravel mix because the rocks tend to lock together like pieces of a puzzle but without steel to reinforce it, it will fail. Building a wall with only mortar mix and no steel is the worst possible way to build with cement.

[@jesusloveseveryone888]

Amen, brother. My father is a residential home builder, and even with my limited knowledge of construction, this technology gives me anxiety.

[@AzureAzreal]

I am very confused with responses that pretend as though these individuals who are building these houses do not have to conform with the engineering codes put forth by the cities they are built in. I'm sure that because you are in the construction industry, you know that it is extremely difficult to get a permit through in the best of cases (unless you are a huge corp or the like). So why are you questioning the structural engineering when we have dedicated public positions that will not sign off on construction without being checked by qualified engineers?

[@cameronturner7475]

@@AzureAzreal well, for one thing, is a different code. They're only allowed to print single story residential, in Texas anyway, no commercial buildings, limited vertical loads etc, which tells me it's not strong enough. My wife used to work in an engineering lab and one of her jobs was crush testing cement samples. She thinks that mix would crush under 2500psi. All I'm saying is I would like to know the compressive strength of that mix because it doesn't look very strong to me.

[@AzureAzreal]

@@cameronturner7475 I understand being concerned about applying this method to other building designs, but isn't that a different discussion? It's being applied to code when it is used, correct? So when you say, "not strong enough," aren't you speaking of applications in which it is not being applied? For example, to me, it sounds as if you are saying, "You can't build a 100-story skyscraper out of wood framing because it is too weak." And while that is true, it seems irrelevant because no city would sign off on that and take the liability. So it wouldn't be made. And by that logic, every house you see that is being made is "strong enough" and can never be "too weak" unless the city is signing off on structurally unsound buildings, which they wouldn't do unless they want to lose millions - if not more - in liability claims, right?

[@timstark7999]

A number of print material utilizes aggregate, some up to 10mm. Some companies are pumping a typical concrete mix thru their system because their pumps can handle the aggregate size. There is reinforcement in almost all of the walls, vertical and horizontal, I have yet to see a building that is permitted have no reinforcement in the walls. If you look at the data sheets for most 3d print material their 28 day break is similar or better than concrete. Plus all of their testing and mixing protocols meet ASTM standards. Icon's Wolf Ranch development is in a jurisdiction that has a building department. Plus companies like Lennar are not going to develop housing tracts that don't have engineering done. There are many permitted printed buildings in the US. Its not difficult considering the addition of UL3401 to the IRC. A lot of engineers or architects won't involve their firms in these projects unless they feel confident in the structural engineering. Additionally Walmart started using the method to build part of one of their super centers in the midwest. The machine tech and material science is only advancing.

[@Ihaveanamenowtaken]

In many parts of the world, the problem isn’t a lack of housing but its ridiculous high cost. My city is filling with apartment buildings which are unoccupied because of the extremely high rent prices.

[@MA_KA_PA_TIE]

Nobody wants to rent to people with shit credit. Blame the difficulty in evicting people who dont pay. Thats a state issue.

[@InnuendoXP]

Speculative housing developments being bought by speculative investment firms whose value is driven by the expectation that eventually someone who needs a place to live will actually pay these ridiculous prices & that this amount is only ever going to keep going up.

[@YouGotOptions2]

Which city?

[@tacosmexicanstyle7846]

@@InnuendoXP and low interest rates. Cheap money has been flooding the market for years in many parts of the world; when people can afford to borrow more, they can afford to pay more, and the prices go up to reflect that.

[@zednotzee]

there's also an aspect of it that's a sort of self feeding cycle. Developers need to make the project attractive both to prospective tenants, investors and the city councils who have to approve the build. So they propose buildings that include underground parking, gyms, green spaces, social spaces, security and other amenities. The price goes up. And the people who could potentially afford the elevated prices want the highest end finishes. Stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops etc. The price goes up further.

[@InfiniteCheeseCrates]

In most areas around the world, the issue isn't housing, it's the market itself. We have the tech and labor to build highly efficient smaller homes that are affordable, it's just that no one will build them! Unless you count pre-manufactured homes, which have a stigma at least here in the US of being for those in poverty and as a result, most are only ever allowed in "trailer parks" which are often poorly maintained and tightly packed so no one really wants to live in them. Here in ND, the only way you can get a sub 2,300 sqft home that isn't pre-manufactured is to go for an older home, but unless you go for a home that needs remodeling, they often sell for just as much as a larger home due to them being in an "established" neighborhood. IE: My parents 1300sqft home is valued at 235k, but I can get a new home that's 2300sqft for the same price. Yet there is no one offering a brand new home under 2300sqft for nearly half the cost? Heck, where I used to live, they straight up will deny a permit for any home that's under 1200Sqft! My Grandparents raised 7 kids in a home that's 710sqft!!!!

[@gigaus0]

I can back this. I got out of Construction but stuck with the Union, and now only do real estate; The issue is the companies that ask to have homes built. People, individuals, don't typically ask to have a home built. The people making the choices of when and where to build homes is companies. They don't ask for these cheap houses, they ask for 'house farms', those neatly made villages of two story+base houses that have all this nice wood, cool tech, all this shine to them, and cost 500k~1m because ya know, the real estate company needs to eat. And as the above said, a lot of places deny homes to be built if they don't meet size or material requirements. One of the rural areas near me is infamous for being gentrified due to the fact that they will not allow anything under a specific size and material value. Why? Because home value. You can't restrict people from building something expressly for it's home value, but you can restrict them from doing things that would have a low value. Thus, you have places like Buffalo and Albany, where there's a 70% vacancy rate of houses, yet they're still building more of the same...

[@idrathernot_2]

@@gigaus0 to build on this, homes built on lots all have a certain 'break through' costs that's similar to every hole big or small. Septic or rural water has to be run/installed, permits made, ground work done, lawyers and agents paid etc etc. Most homes the house is a relative fraction of costs, with land and infrastructure taking a big chunk of a new homes sale. Things like that don't really scale unless someone makes a neighborhood like that, and as was said, those guys have a profit motive themselves. Why make $5k a house when you can make $50k?

[@cdjhyoung]

@@idrathernot_2 You're on the right track with your comment. I live in a 1200 sq ft modular house dating to 1996. It is still in really good shape for any 25 year old house. Mine is erected in a country setting, so the original builders had well and septic costs to cover. I'm not sure of the original installation cost, that was three owners ago and all involved have passed away, but it is currently valued (with the land) at $115,000, low priced for may area. To replicate this house on the lot next door would cost $40K for the lot (1.25 acres around here); $15 would cover well and septic (we have reasonable septic standards around here). The house itself would be in the $125k range, with some unknown set up fees and building permit fees. That already adds up to the $180K range, and that is a bare bones estimate. That means duplicating my existing house is already 50% more expensive that buying the existing house. I actually do think that manufactured housing can save money for home buyers. To stick build a house in my area it is now the rule of thumb to plan for $175 a square foot for construction alone, no lot, no well or septic. That puts duplicating my house in the $210K range plus $55k or more for all the other stuff. SO we are back to the $280K range for a new, small home. The Us federal Government could help this issue a bit by creating a third class of pre-built homes. Now, a two piece modular home needs to arrive on site with everything included to be able to move right in as soon as the modules are set and the power and water connected. Parts of these house need to be over built because they are transported. Eliminating the need for the interior space to be dry walled and cabinets hung, fixtures set and furnace and hot water heater included could knock down the initial costs of these houses. Hiring local can help here. It can also give the buyer a better handle on applying their purchasing dollars to the quality level they desire for the items in the home. It would also stop some of the 'mobile home' look featured found in so many modular houses.

[@jakedoesdev]

This is one perspective from one part of the US - and obviously different parts of the US experience different perspectives on housing. In Texas where I've lived for 20+ years - they build new houses all the time down here. Tons were built in the late 90s and early 2000s - like a ton. But even today theres still dozen of neighborhoods going up - 200-400k homes. Anything between 1300 and 3000sqft are fairly easy to find new. Since Texas is a place where alot of people are moving to and we have alot of land - theres builders who come out here and foot the bill for a whole neighborhood to be designed, permitted and built, usually by one set of contractors. Down here they are called "cookie cutter houses" - and unless you live way out of the city - most middle class families live in these. only maybe 20-40ft separating the bricked houses. Small yards, fenced in backyards. Most of the rest of the country has houses that are alot more unique - purpose built - made to match the land, etc. There might be "developer neighborhoods" here and there but thats what a lot of people in the north called like "planned communities" and those houses are usually even more expensive up there. Thats basically the default out in Texas - except they build these houses as cheap as possible, so while its made to look nice - once you get inside and see what your working with its pretty basic, insulation needs upgrades, etc.

[@johnmonk66]

Many places in NY have micro apartments, but the landlords charge MORE for them

[@prjndigo]

The claim that it could cost as little as $3500 USD in El Salvador is quite reasonable... however a hand constructed block home with roof using conventional and classic techniques of the same footprint can be had for about $2800 USD in El Salvador.

[@GldnClaw]

$3500 sounds nice if you're an American feeling charitable to donate a few homes, not a local

[@yt650]

If you remember back a few decades, there were foam portions of concrete forms along with rebar for pouring concrete walls instead of using concrete block. Essentially as I look at that industry in the United States, the most unreliable people who did that kind of work were masons. Not all masons, but block layers and bricklayers historically have been a problem child. As I talk to builders I find out it is the toughest thing to get them on the site and get them to do the job as contracted. I want to build a home and it was during the winter and they had a big problem being able to brick the front of the house because of the weather. I told them when you get here tomorrow morning the front of the house will be tented and there will be a heating unit in there to keep it well above freezing and well above 45°. It never occurred to them to do that kind of a job so they could work, they just wanted to work under ideal conditions for them and the hell with the job. Then the bricklayer and the concrete guy got into an argument on who was going to pour the porch floor first or after the brick job. So I just fired them both and hired a company that did brick and concrete work and let them decide in their own mind what they wanted to do first. 3-D printing to some extent tries to replace the troublemakers which are the Masons.

[@alexhulea2735]

No offense, but the guys you fired sound like definitely-not-working-together-assholes that run up costs needlessly. There are more and more of those kinds of asshats in eastern europe 😤😤

[@captain_context9991]

Ironically homelessness is NEVER about a lack of houses.

[@gunslinger9171]

We got empty malls too convert those into condos.

[@algorithmicalychallenged.291]

@@gunslinger9171 who's paying for that construction and the lifetime maintenance?

[@algorithmicalychallenged.291]

@@petermoran406 and it has more willingly homeless people then houses.

[@ernimuja6991]

Most homeless people do not lack homes. They have so many mental health issues which prevent them from getting and keeping a home.

[@slykeren8371]

It is about affordable houses though. If houses are cheaper homelessness will be reduced

[@sta1nless]

There is no way a house made like this would stand after an earthquake. No rebar, and due to the method in which it's applied, quite porous. I think you wouldn't even get a permit from the municipality here in Chile. Also, brick is way cheaper.

[@annabees]

Some places are lucky to have as good as no earthquakes though. I get that in Chile thoses houses are out of the question though XD

[@BackyardBeeKeepingNuevo]

Amen

[@MarkCisOfTheLoonieLeft]

If American prudes could get over their refer madness paranoia, hemp is 5 times stronger than concrete and would flex in an earthquake whereas concrete won't do that rebar or not.

[@chrismcadams821]

I don’t know if this has been brought up, but I believe the largest contribution this tech has is in reducing the amounts of materials needed to build the structure. This is why homes is so expensive. If there is a lumber shortage, prices soar and construction stalls. If you replace wood frames with steel frames, there could also be supply chain issues. I don’t know if the automation is the biggest selling point. It’s the streamlining of materials, in my opinion. Overall, would ICF blocks or even Hempcrete blocks be the best solution? I don’t think solving homelessness is the immediate goal, but reducing home costs and challenging the status quo and runaway inflation due to housing crisis is necessary. Thoughts?

[@trentbell4956]

They do use rebar, I saw a video about it.

[@ChimpyChamp]

I love hearing a pragmatic voice on these sorts of subjects every now and again.

[@Guitarpicker21]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your calm analysis is so refreshing. I’ve been in construction for over 20 years and I’ve looked at 3D printing in a few different applications. I’m encouraged by the possibilities, but I’m frustrated by the hype. So thank you for your well-thought out and well-executed video.

[@lefr33man]

This just in: Journalists are consistently saying dumb shit. "No end in sight", experts say. And now, the weather.

[@solonyetski]

Front page news title: “THE WORLD WILL END IN 12 YEARS IF WE DON’T SWITCH EVERYTHING TO RENEWABLES!!!”

[@vociferonheraldofthewinter2284]

KZbin comment of the year, right here.

[@7th808s]

Sadly, they aim for profit, not to do uhhh... what do you call it again? Oh yeah, to do your actual job.

[@valentinmitterbauer4196]

Media: "Turn information into an industry, purposefully misread scientific work and word articles as controversial as possible to farm "outrage clicks" or support a political narrative." Also media: "Why do people have more trust in tinfoil- Terrence and his unwordly social media- bubble than in us? It must be them who are at fault!"

[@fyrchmyrddin1937]

@@solonyetski I'm sorry, I had already died because of Net Neutrality.

[@Some1special]

I've actually looked at a "3d printed home" and honestly, I'm not impressed. At first it seems like a cool idea until you realize that the cement is often low quality and cracks very easily. The foundation used in these projects are not high psi concrete and with all of the weight added from the concrete printed onto the foundation the structure begins to fail almost immediately. The lack of rebar used to give structural support is also a major factor. Essentially what you end up with is a weak shell that cracks and crumbles as things like wood swell push and twist inside the structure. These are the used car version of homes.

[@captain_context9991]

True. Also there is absolutely no reason why 3D printing a house should be easier than stacking pre-isolated cinder blocks. Which seems the easiest process now days.

[@jaredfullmer7043]

When my brother told me he wanted to get into this kind of thing a few years back, the first thing I thought of was the lack of reinforcement. They need to at least add some fiberglass in there to give it SOMETHING, for crying out loud.

[@jackfield8682]

That’s the scary thing if there is no rebar in it and of the concrete is not the correct MPA and if an earth quake was to happen (I’m in New Zealand) the whole thing would fail because of the lack of strength it has

[@theotherebikeguy1473]

More like the YUGO of home construction...

[@trans_eater]

Why not to use prefarb panels like in USSR ?

[@yoshi658]

As someone that live in a country with heavy seismic activity he idea of living in a house without a steel frame is kinda scary specially when construction companies often cheap out with the concrete

[@eisforenkai]

I'm in the structural side of design, and my first thought whenever I see any of these videos is "and how are you reinforcing? Is it in the cores, similar to CMU? If so, HOW." I don't blame you for being scared. I see this as presented by news agencies, and I see "Unreinforced Masonry - but High Tech!" URM is a huge killer in earthquakes.

[@thefunshackwars5418]

Are you guys slow? Most houses in america are made of wood and drywall, not steel.

[@yoshi658]

@@thefunshackwars5418 I am from Peru in South America it's located in a continental fault line so we get magnitude 5 and 6 quakes somewhat often, most good houses are made from brick and concrete with steel frames

[@MarkCisOfTheLoonieLeft]

They could be printed using hemp which is 5 times stronger than concrete and would flex in an earthquake whereas concrete won't do that rebar or not. But hemp has been so demonized by ignorant pearl clutchers and those in power.

[@yoshi658]

@@MarkCisOfTheLoonieLeft hemp wouldn't resist a rainy season though

[@Gouretoratto]

So basically even when used to its full potential, it's still only an option instead of being a magic cure all. Depending on where the job site is or local electricity costs, 3d printed concrete can be potentially incorrect to use. It still looks really handy for urban environments. Very insightful video

[@riynyescienceguy5268]

Anyone who has used a 3D printer will tell you one thing The first layer is CRUCIAL. If it fails the whole print is most likely ruined. Now apply that concept to a house which can be SUPER expensive

[@louisvaught2495]

No, that's not a meaningful comparison. The reason first layers are important on traditional printers is that the material shrinks as it dries/hardens/cures, and it solidifies extremely quickly. The first layer needs to hold it tightly so that it doesn't warp as it's curing. Concrete has some shrinkage, but that happens very slowly, and the material is weak in tension. Instead of shrinking inwards, it primarily develops microscopic cracks.

[@MimiRAM0NE]

@@louisvaught2495 Still seems like the first layer of a 3D printed house would be important to the overall structural integrity. 3D printed concrete may not have the same issues as home 3D printer material, but it will have it's own challenges.

[@louisvaught2495]

@@MimiRAM0NE The problem is that trying to draw an analogy to normal 3D-printing is basically a complete failure to understand how and why the two things work. Printed plastic can extend and contract a lot, and builds internal stress that causes it to warp and change shape. The first layer has to *hold the part in place* so it maintains shape while printing. A small mistake at the base of a printed concrete building doesn't cause the entire structure to curl inwards - aka failure of the entire print.

[@MimiRAM0NE]

@@louisvaught2495 I agree about a small concrete flaw not likely ruining the whole structure. Thanks for explaining more about 3D printing, very interesting!

[@joevarga5982]

@@louisvaught2495 "The problem is that trying to draw an analogy to normal 3D-printing is basically a complete failure to understand how and why the two things work." No, the problem is that you're too anal. Riy said "The first layer is CRUCIAL." THIS IS TRUE. Period. You're MISSING THE POINT, trying to act like an expert on here.

[@Chungleas]

As a mechanical engineer I have to agree with you on the "solutions looking for problems" point. I've seen it repeatedly over the last 20 years or so (and even participated a couple of times). It used to be called "rapid prototyping" which was maybe a more honest description of it's typical applications. It's not that I don't think the concept has potential, I just know the gap between where it is and what is being sold is significant. I see lots of press about the speed and labour savings, but little about the mechanical properties or durability of structures made this way. I also wonder what 3D printing concrete achieves that pre-cast and/or poured concrete can't.

[@mrslinkydragon9910]

Pre cast and pouring needs someone to design and make molds for the concrete

[@solaroid4442]

@@mrslinkydragon9910 There are plenty of modular pouring systems, that are assembled on site as needed. You add rebar into it, then the concrete pump arrives along with a bunch of mixers and you are pouring in 10 minutes. No giant CNC structures, and is pretty fast. You can create whatever structure you want, as tall as you need it, you can put water, heating pipes and cables in the molds before pouring the concrete... This so called 3d printer is very limiting and won't be any cheaper than traditional methods. That's why no self respecting construction company is adopting it.

[@RobertSzasz]

All I can think of is niche work where a form would be exceptionally difficult to build or tear down.

[@liucyrus22]

I guess extremely complicated curves in walls. But few civil engineers dare design them. PITA to do the calculations.

[@JWSmythe]

Looking at the walls in videos like this, the benefit is crazy thick walls. That may not be a benefit though, it may simply be an inherent flaw in the design. I'd think it would be cheaper to cast blocks at a factory with 25% of the concrete used in these solid walls. It looks like with a decent work crew, they could put the concrete block walls up just as fast. Or precast the walls at a factory, and deliver them to the work site.

[@sueastside]

Solving homelessness is indeed a weird target for these 'printers'. If you're just trying to create shelters or cheap housing, prefab would win on cost and speed I presume? I think the flexibility of these systems is more 'organic' architecture, things that are harder to do with square bricks or straight sticks. But it can only be cost effective if these machines are fully autonomous (no babysitting or complex setup), are easily transportable (or are used for big development projects) and would allow for multiple tool attachment (same rig is used to also place windows or lintels, insulation,...) They also state it is printing 'concrete' is this regular concrete or are they doing more of an aircrete mixture?

[@dash4800]

they don't want to solve anything. There are numerous stories of people trying to build small, cheap shelters for homeless people by spending their own money and they are always shut down. Governments only want to "solve" a problem if it means a giant spending bill that they can siphon money from to line their own pockets.

[@liucyrus22]

Good for constructing very intricate shapes I guess. And only good for that. Humans could have built straight brick walls faster than that machine.

[@KrisRyanStallard]

@@dash4800 sometimes these projects are shut down because they were building substandard structures that would ultimately end up needing to be torn down.

[@jayspeidell]

Affordable housing is usually a zoning problem. Shipping containers, tiny homes, and 3D printed homes are all single family homes. Taking a plot of land that could hold six of these could also support a 40+ unit apartment building and increase the overall housing supply in a city. Single family homes aren't the solution to housing shortages because the problem isn't a shortage of housing, it's a shortage of land.

[@seiboldtadelbertsmiter3735]

Yup prefab designed to be thrown up with no skill or low skill labor on site would be cheaper. Build a factory that uses the same techniques and technology as the automotive industry. Make the components small enough to be transported easily. You reduce the cost through mass production. The cost drops dramatically when you churn out millions of units a year.

[@alech9418]

Way too many homebuilding "experts" online have no clue what they are talking about. As someone who builds houses for a living, I often watch this type of videos to laugh. You did an excellent job at explaining the housing elements of the video. Perhaps my favorite element was your nod to a need for humility when solving complex problems. Politicians are often the type of people who think that if everything was done their way it would all work better. That mindset pollutes modern society, and diminishes the value of a mulitfaceted approach.

[@-MacCat-]

Mark Twain said "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.", but we should all be grateful for your doing so. Thanks Belinda.

[@questioneverything4633]

He also said "Never let your schooling interfere with your education." A much better quote. :)

[@Iznikroc]

it would be more accurate to call them 3D printed walls.

[@gnbilios]

What are the reasons why India has 1 3rd of its population living in abject poverty?

[@StaticMotions]

As a civil engineer, I have been saying this for years. Glad to see this video. Hopefully it informs the uneducated masses.

[@delboy7039]

I always said, 'oh great, some walls, what about the rest...!'

[@jankom.7783]

3D printing is trying to solve a problem that does not exist. Whatever material are you trying to make walls with is already cheap, standardized and has large supporting infrastructure

[@mikelander]

@@jankom.7783 Standardization is the death of creativity if devoid of anyone challenging it. It may not be obvious now why it's useful, but people said the same thing about regular 3d printers, which are already speeding up the process of rapidly prototyping unique parts across so many industries. Maybe it'll fail, maybe not, but it's dumb to shut the door on it already.

[@GuardDog42]

@@jankom.7783 Almost 2 billion people around the world don't have adequate housing and you're going to suggest that developing a technology that would be able to produce the rough framework for a home in a day is trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist? Great you're trying to make a home with cheap standardized materials. Maybe that works in the US, or europe and maybe you might even be able to make it as cheap as running a 3D printer... TODAY, not necessarily when the technology and patterns take off. The problem of affordable adequate shelter is a problem right NOW and with the way housing prices are going it's going to be a problem in the very near future. Something that you describe as a problem is a crisis for those in 3rd world country and a new group of 1st world citizens devoid of generational wealth. Your ignorance has landed you right on the opposite side of the spectrum regarding this argument.

[@jankom.7783]

@@GuardDog42 3D printing will not solve problem with housing. The walls themselves are only small part of price of a house. Building the walls of a regular house take maybe two days. So it is as fast, or faster than 3D printing. Material for normal house costs probably even less than for 3D printed house, because you can use local materials. Which probably will not be so easy with 3D printer. Building a house is already cheap today. The reason why houses are not cheap is because people do not want a cheap house. Everybody buys or builds a house that is as big and expensive as they can afford. That is just human nature. And people want to live in a good location. Which is another thing that drives prices of houses up. Price of land. None of this things will be solved by 3D printing. And regarding 3rd world countries: they usually can afford to buy a building material. Because that is cheap. And find few people who help them build a house. Because they have family and friends. Problem is then to buy a build everything else, that makes house "adequate" - windows, doors, water, electricity, heating, plumbing. And this is the expensive part

[@kunaak]

Amish people would be laughing their asses off if they ever saw this vid. "You want a house built in 24 hours? sure we can do that, we did 1 yesterday for Ezekiel's son."

[@fionafiona1146]

The question of the finish/utilitys is solidly outside their time frame too.

[@jtkilroy]

No doubt

[@jeffwells641]

@Morgan Allen Not a strong point, though. I can wait a few weeks it's fine.

[@lads.7715]

They save time with no need for wiring!

[@MegaSockenschuss]

​@@lads.7715 There are different types of Amish, a lot of them use electricity, or cars, or mobile phones. I recommend you the last videos from Peter Santenello on this (very interesting and fascinating) topic.

[@guard13007]

I'd heard some of the claims, knew they had to be false just because if they were true, all construction would've already moved to this technology, but I hadn't the faintest idea why or how it was wrong. Thanks for sharing this, learned a lot about things I knew nothing about. ^^

[@epicuritus9761]

Thanks for the logical analysis of 3D printing of concrete walls. You always have top-notch content that doesn't get sucked into the hype. I love the idea of saving time/money but not all technology does that.

[@BelindaCarr]

Thank you!

[@tomruth9487]

@@BelindaCarr I know that a lot of energy goes into making of cement for concrete. Also I'm sure there are a lot of chemicals needed to make the special concrete mix for 3d printing. In my experience these chemicals are not cheap. I'm thinking this is all similar to the self driving cars, there is so much hype, but yet we are so far away from it really being practical. That said, I'm glad that we are looking for solutions in the building industry.

[@ralger]

Great overview of what 3D “house” printing is really like not the media filled fantasy shown by others less knowledgeable . 👍

[@tomruth9487]

@@ralger Yeah I like you're term "media filled fantasy". I think the total driverless car is another media filled fantasy, at least for now.

[@matthewa9911]

This is the first video of your channel I've seen and I'm an instant subscriber. Keep up the great journalism, Matt from Texas :)

[@hairybubbles127]

Balanced, informed, and honest commentary is too rare! This is well worth watching

[@vazjc]

Funny, cause San Francisco stopped building an "affordable" container apartment because it's getting expensive to build.

[@millenniumf1138]

I feel like a "house printer" needs to be a lot more than just a concrete extruder. I feel it could be viable with using plastic and metal extruders in addition to concrete in order to lay electric and water lines as well as insulation, but it also needs a lot more maturing of the technology before it can be used to just slap down houses and call it a solution to housing problems.

[@chrissmith3587]

That isn’t possible I’m afraid, 3D printed pipes would take ages and would be far weaker and more prone to leaks than standard And you’d have to have very different nozzle sizes for wiring and the walls, this would slow down the process massively as the walls would have to wait for that layers piping and wiring to be made before it could do the next layer. This would result in the concrete section idling which would increase the cost of using Realistically a 3D printer is nothing more than an extruder with some movement

[@musaran2]

Prefabricated modules are much simpler, cheaper, and adaptive. Lots of interesting work done here, unfortunately a lot of regulatory and perception problems.

[@JWSmythe]

​@@chrissmith3587 They're getting there. There is a company printing metal rocket engines. Aluminum, I think. They can print the pipes into the bell and motor assembly while printing the whole engine. It's a neat idea. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oauUZ2icZsxrY6c Common consumer/hobbyist 3d printers being used today can print multiple materials at once. Either with multiple extruders and nozzles on the carriage, or combining nozzles where they can provide one material or a combination of a few dynamically. I don't think they'll ever be able to pass cement and aluminum through the same nozzle, but they could be able to print each on their own heads. If they can build rockets with it, they can print your residential system to whatever local code is, unless code requires factory manufactured tubes. I suspect building codes around the world will need to be adjusted to allow on-site manufacturing like that. I'm not totally convinced that printing the whole house, with plumbing and electricity, with one machine, is practical. Really, those metal and plastic printing parts will be idle most of the time during the process. It's (probably) better to still manufacture pipes and wires elsewhere, and install them as needed. It should be a lot cheaper and easier to repair. Imagine trying to replace a printed pipe, inside a solid cement printed wall. It might be practical in another 50 years, when the components are already heavily used in industry on their sites. Right now, any of those parts are rare. I can't just go on Amazon or eBay to buy any of primary functional parts. It wasn't that long ago that I couldn't afford to buy 3d printer parts, and people with microcontroller experience were limited. Now every kid can learn in school how to program microcontrollers, design circuits, and print projects. It's us older people who fall behind, if we don't try to keep up with technology. I just happen to be one of the older people who does stay up to date on such things.

[@NaatClark]

It takes hours just to print a useless tchotchke that fits in the palm of your hand

[@plang42]

Yes recyclable plastic would be better choice than concrete? Probably would be earthquake proof also?

[@fantasypvp]

0:53 as a brit, the cost of building the house is insignificant compared to the cost to buy enough land to fit that given house.

[@Arterexius]

I'd like to point out another problem with 3D printed construction. The lack of any layer reinforcements. The absolute number one problem with 3D printing, is the weak connection between layers. The layers work great in compression, but absolutely terrible when subjected to linear and opposite vertical forces. Aka, if you hit it from the side or put the layers under pulling pressure, you will eventually obtain cracks. A mitigation of this, without introducing rebar, could be to print the layers in different angles, although this would increase construction time of the home. At the end of the day, I cannot see a 3D printed home as a realistic approach to housing for the masses. It's made in a way that simply isn't durable for decades, as unsealed concrete isn't exactly happy for being exposed to the elements and paint isn't a great sealant either, which means the best solution would be a mortar mix for resurfacing the outer shell, which means more work and thus a higher price. Furthermore, concrete isn't exactly an environmentally friendly way to produce housing, as you also pointed out in the video, which further adds to the likely hood of 3D printed houses being nothing more than a gimmick for arrogant designers, architects and the rich and famous. The average population is better off with prefab homes, as even their concrete elements can be made in controlled environments, thus reducing their pollution by collecting and repurposing their pollutants. I live in Denmark and our houses are a mix between prefab and built on site. Most of them feature brickwork on the outside and plasterboard on the inside, but between those layers are insulated, prefabricated concrete slabs, on which interior and exterior insulation is added, to make high energy efficient homes that can easily last 100 years. Which then makes up for the pollution that have been released during construction. Best of all is we do a semi-custom ordered villa in about 2-3 years (semi-custom means that the overall shapes are predetermined and selected from a catalogue, but the rest is up to the customer to decide. All the way down to which light switches, antenna output, internet connection and their placements in the home)

[@RadostinVelchev]

Even cast in the conventional way concrete without rebar works good only on compression.

[@louisvaught2495]

That's a common misconception - concrete doesn't need rebar, and the layer lines aren't as bad as they are in normal printing because of how the cure process works. We have alternative technologies and additives to make it strong in tension, rebar is just well-understood and generally cheaper. The additives needed to give it tensile strength aren't cheap or easy to use, but they improve the results of the printing process by making the material stronger while it's curing. However, that does defeat the potential "it's cheaper" argument.

[@slome815]

While I do think 3D printed houses are a dumb idea (in europe we mostly use large bricks work in construction, and a couple of good bricklayers can build the walls of a small house in a couple of days, It's a small part of the total cost of a house). Reinforcement is not always needed. I live in a brick house from the 1780's. Obviously it's unreinforced, but since there are no large earthquakes here, it's still fine. Even most modern houses here have unreinforced walls.

[@Arterexius]

@@slome815 Your brick house is enforced. It's built by bricks overlapping each other, which automatically reinforces it, rather than just running straight line after straight line on top of each other, like 3D printing houses do. A single, continuous straight line, will crack along that straight line, if there's nothing to stop the crack. Most brick houses crack along the edges of the bricks and thus create a zig-zag crack, which won't compromise stability unless it's really severe (like bricks starting to fall out) and it's easy to fix. A crack running along the edge of a house, in a continuous straight line, is just seriously bad and you wouldn't want that ever. It can though be easily fixed. Just add steel rods every 60 cm. and you're good. For context, I am a Dane.

[@slome815]

@@Arterexius There is no bond in the horizontal joints, the same as with with the 3D printed buildings. No engineer would call a traditional brick and mortar building reinforced just because it's built with a cross bond or half brick bond. In reinforced buildings there is steel to take tensile loads. A normal brick building will not take tensile loads any better then an unreinforced concrete building would. And while my house, with it's soft lime mortar joints, will indeed crack along the joints, and not straight through the bricks, that is not always the case with modern brick buildings. I have seen cracks in new buildings build with hard portland cement mortar, and they will often go right through the brick and morter without distinction.

[@automateconstruction]

Awesome! thanks for sharing some of the footage from my channel and bringing new attention to the industry!

[@BelindaCarr]

Thanks, Jarett! I tagged you in the YT description and on the LinkedIn post. Hope we get to collaborate soon!

[@dj4123]

Thank you for providing reality-based information about 3-D printing. There are still problems to solve before they can really change the world. I appreciate very much your stating the 3-D and shipping containers discussions do not cut either down to ribbons but your honesty about "problems abound" was reasonable. Keep on keeping us steady!

[@mrdclark2003]

This video is two years old so you may not see this message, but I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your video. You are spot on, humility and honesty are needed!

[@nicholaspatel6762]

In these days that I am preparing to launch my new build concept , I was happy to be asked my opinion and to contribute to this video....Belinda Carr is a very down to earth and practical professional who has insight into construction. And I enjoy reading her informative posts. Again I will say, I love 3D printing...and one day it may allow for house construction. But right now this video will explain in detail the technical hurdles. And maybe the 3D house construction crowd can stop hyping this beyond what it's capable of as of now. And definitely not a solution for Africa , especially rural Africa.....And by the way , that Madagascar school build does not exist.... I hope I can be proven wrong , although apparently you can donate to it......🤔

[@carjam49]

It seems to me that when tech inflates the importance of their product, they purposely diminish the contributions of labor. It is just not true, so thank you for articulating that so beautifully.

[@creestee08]

in this world full of hype, you need a Belinda Carr to bring you back to reality.

[@jesstreloar7706]

2:38 The 24 hour claim is the actual time it takes the machine to 'print' the house, machine hours of use. This point is like saying - it takes me an hour to get to grandmother's house - then having you claim that is not accurate because I have to mined the metal to make the car then purchase the car then find the oil to make the gasoline and then fill the car up with oil and gas and ... Seeing a bias here.

[@rossmcleod7983]

Well said Belinda, put all my partly formed thoughts and intuition into high relief. As someone said below, walls are the least of your problems during a build.

[@BelindaCarr]

Thanks, Ross!

[@sigmawarrior.fokeryou]

"A solution looking for a problem." You said it all. Subscribing to your channel, I love the realistic way you talk.

[@martinpook5707]

This seems to be spot on. People always look at a house when the walls are up and the roof on and say 'nearly finished then'. Anything but! Speeding up wall construction would definitely be a plus, but there are plenty of other system to do that. But I think building a house in a factory and shippng the parts to site is a better way.

[@gigaus0]

....It is though. After the frame is up, you have plumbing, wiring, thermo, water tank, ac/ventilation, maybe gas in depending on the area, and fixtures. If the insulation is already taken care of with the walls, then yes, 70% of the work is done when the frame is done. The rest is small beans. Also, building the parts and shipping doesn't work well in most environments. That's the problem. We tried pre-fab panels in hurricane and flood zones; They break apart extremely easily. It's why they're called disposable homes.

[@PetrovMaxim3dmarks]

The thing that I am worry about 3d printed concrete houses is a cracking of concrete. In traditional concrete construction the steel armature is usually used for keeping it sustainable. And all massive monolyth constructions are always segmented by deformation seams to prevent it from cracking. But what about 3d printed home? I've seen that some companies put a steel struts between layers and that's it. Is it enough to prevent the whole walls from cracking?

[@coyjin]

Just got in to the BIM field 2years ago I started watching for your shipping container videos but I stayed free great content. Keep it going!

[@BelindaCarr]

Thank you!

[@roiad876]

@@BelindaCarr cv...,c ,Z

[@Paelidore]

I'm a huge fan of 3D printed homes, but excluding the dirt homes, I never saw it as a 'cure' for homelessness, but rather a potentially new and exciting architectural medium which could provide its own strengths similar to bubble houses.

[@slolerner7349]

The strengths of bubble houses?

[@Paelidore]

@@slolerner7349 Bubble houses are really neat! They inflate what are effectively large balloons and cover them in cement. They then deflate them and insulate them. They're fire resistant, easy to thermally regulate, and surprisingly cheap.

[@zxcasf]

People always seem to miss the fact that these are just tools to give us more options, not some trendy fix all band aid for every issue in the construction sphere.

[@Suavek69]

That's what you get with people obsessed with narrative. Things can't be just things, they have to change the world as though we lived in a sci Fi movie

[@pattiehanan1356]

Excellent detailed coverage of this topic. I learned a lot and, like you, I despise hype that creates an unrealistic picture of anything -- especially about something as fundamentally necessary as good housing! Thanks very much, you're an excellent teacher!

[@stuartedge]

Thank you for this thorough explanation! I learned a lot!

[@Prusa3D]

Omg I love your video! I debunk these daily, now I can forward this video to people misled by marketing 👏👏 - Josef

[@lego_minifig]

The legend himself! Love your work and what your doing in the industry.

[@TheGFS]

Josef, your turn buddy ! ;) We need mini concrete extruders to fit Prusas ;)

[@dufric88]

Prusa 4 life!!

[@franchocou]

Hi Mr printer 😁

[@chomp7927]

with all that saved time will we ever get more info on the Prusa XL? It's been 2 years now and there's not even a picture or an ETA

[@Chimel31]

Beyond the 3D printing part, maybe it's time we stop using concrete at all for houses, and use local materials such as mud. The walls of my traditional French village house are thick and made with large square bricks of raw clay ("raw" = sun-baked) filled with more dirt taken from the house's foundations. And 3D-printing mud is not an option, as each layers needs weeks to cure. We actually had to remove all concrete that was applied to the outside decades ago and replace it with a layer of breathable limestone cement, as concrete and raw earth don't match, the whole purpose of raw earth walls is that they can evaporate outside all the moisture from the soil and from inside.

[@RustingPeace]

Youknow that things like insulation etc. work? Even today you are not allowed to use mortar for bricks in Germany, they are all individually milled and then glued. Because the mortar insulates so badly.

[@JackkDevil]

Also if you live in a country with lots of earthquakes you need reinforced concrete to be safe from extensive damage or collapse.

[@MachinecoMachines]

Your competence in dicussing all the parameters involved, shine through, Belinda. You have an uncommonly large amount of "common sense". Everything you said are good points to ponder and problems to be solved. Thank you.

[@BoondockSaintRyan]

Praise logic. I love the honest content. So tired of clickbait, viral videos and trendy nonsense. I've been researching shipping containers for over a decade. I see their practicality, and their drawbacks. I see the same for 3D printing. It's important to push the envelope and to examine alternative means. Stick frame isn't the answer, but neither is ignorance.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

I'll point something out. I'm a builder. I researched containers before everyone else 20 years ago and realized there was no benefit to using them and moved on. You say you've been researching for years. Think for a mintue about someone like me who did more knowledgeable research and came to the conclusion its not worth the time, lesser performance and worse for the environment. ( this was when containers cost 8-1200 and New Jersey and at times chicago ports would GIVE them to you if youd haul them away) Over the decades since I researched container I've come to the conclusion THE ONLY REASON THE ENTIRE CONTAINER FAD EXSIST IS BECAUSE HOMEOWNERS AN DYI DONT KNOW YOU CAN JUST RENT COMMERCIAL CONCRETE FORMS AND POUR AN EXPOSED CONCRETE WALL THAT PERFORMS BETTER THAN A CONTAINER IN EVERY WAY FOR LESS MONEY. Hell I even went on a date with an a pricipal at the top firm doing container houses in the country a few years ago. After a couple of minutes of questions she realized i could build better than she could in every way. She was making money doing them and wasnt a workaholic like me so she just stopped advancing her skill set once the firehose of money of container geeks hit her. In all fairness she was making more than me then, I'm making waaaaay more than her now.

[@beretaniastreet6384]

I don’t always agree with Belinda, but I love how fearless she is in taking on BS merchants!!!

[@rtyria]

Can you imagine the hassle of fishing wire through 3d printed walls because someone decided post construction that they needed an extra outlet or to beef up their data? It sounds like a nice idea for external walls, but I wouldn't want my entire house made out of concrete. I change my mind too much.

[@martinw245]

Err... in the UK most of our houses have solid walls. Brick cavity wall construction. Running data cables isn't an issue. 3D printed houses are mostly cavity wall construction too. The cavity is an ideal place for cable runs.

[@rtyria]

@@martinw245 My dad is an electrician and I've watched (and once helped) him fish wire through old cavity walls. That was exactly the "hassle" mentioned above.

[@martinw245]

@@rtyria Well yes, it takes effort. But then wooden stud partitions require you to fish cables too. As I said, almost all of our houses in the UK are brick and cavity wall construction. It's no big deal. It's not like you run new cables everyday. Brick or concrete construction is common throughout the world.

[@guaposneeze]

Concrete is a useful material. But yeah, all concrete everywhere would be a terrible home. I think it's great that people are excited, so there will be R&D spending so they can start actually delivering on some of the hype. But it's definitely going to take "mixed media" construction. I'm imagining home construction in 20 years will involve a self driving truck dropping off factory-made sections. And on-site robots using wood panels for most of the walls. (And maybe some sort of printable plywood slurry for some details.) And the 3D printed concrete will really only be used for the stuff we currently build with concrete. Anything that is done with prefab concrete blocks today could probably be done with an in situ concrete printer. But we almost never build all of our walls out of concrete blocks, so even if concrete printing gets an order of magnitude better, it's still a small part of the project. I would expect to see one or two structural concrete pillars printed into a future home behind the walls.

[@martinw245]

@@guaposneeze "All concrete everywhere would be a terrible thing" You do realise that in the UK and many places abroad, our houses are ALL brick. Houses are often ALL wood and ALL concrete is not new. It not really all one concrete material in reality, because internal walls are often stud partitions and roofs are wooden. There is no logical reason why the primary structure bing concrete is a "terrible thing". "Start delivering on the hype" They have delivered on the hype. There are 3D printed projects all over the world now, and entire communities being built in some locations. Dubai aim to be the world's largest 3D building municipality. "We never build all our walls out of just concrete blocks" Are you American by any chance? You should travel more. There are a multitude of nations who's primary building method is brick or concrete. Typical UK homes... images.app.goo.gl/6LaGpGHgVA6hteZv8 "Even if 3D printing gets better it's still a small part of the building" Huh...it is for US standard construction, but the US is not the entire globe. They are building entire communities now, even in the US. So no, not true. www.cnn.com/2021/03/18/business/california-3d-printed-neighborhood-trnd/index.html

[@lamusiquedeneige4827]

You have a very good perspective. I was at a site in NY that is developing innovative block structures to build domes and vaults. There is a prototype house you can book as a B&B. When you go there and talk with the developer, he quickly starts talking about how they are going to use a 3D printing machine to lay the block. While it's plausible, it seem's a bit non-sensical to use a completely non-modular piece of equipment to build out a technology that is inherently modular. Anway, they were also making similar claims - the structures have a very high hurricane rating, and will be great because there are more hurricanes because of global warming. On inspecting the outer weather survace of the roof, it's a traditional wood skin with asphalt shingles. Asked what will happen if the roof blows off... well... it leaks. So... maybe good as an emergency shelter to avoid going to OZ, but maybe not ideal for your family photo album or your electrical systems.

[@annabees]

Why is this even better than a ted talk? :o Super well documented and well explained. Thanks!

[@schrodingerscat1863]

A lot of TED talks are nothing more than biased cheer leading for the latest thing.

[@patrickgardner2204]

Man, this channel really is a gem, she's concise yet through, points out all the issues and calls out the people who try to pedal nonsense for clicks and clout. Really great stuff.

[@GrantSR]

I love that you realize true compassion must be pragmatic, or it is merely performative. Love Care Think Do (in that order)

[@randomkitty2555]

Ever since the technology was shown years ago I have not once seen it used, at least at where I live. 3D printed homes are one of those 'new technologies' that the media loves to make articles about but since it's still in it's early stages the technology requires a lot of funding and demand so obviously the cost would be high.

[@ministryofwrongthink6962]

As someone who frames houses let me tell you… If there was something that was cheap and easy to build houses from other than wood we would use it for the mere fact of fireproofing alone… even with the advanced synthetic stuff we use to put stuff together in homes the entire thing is basically one big campfire (+your family) ready to go..only the smoke/chemicals and everything else that’s built with it will most likely kill you before the flames will. The reason we still use “burn me up Scotty” wood is because it literally grows on trees (duh) and it’s easy to shape (Cut) to how you want it to be.. basically if there was a better option we would use a better option. …The reason we don’t use steel to build peoples homes is because your house would be expensive as everloving shit.

[@uazuazu]

I guess this is a US perspective, because here in the Peruvian highlands all modern houses are reinforced concrete and brick. More traditional structures are straw-reinforced mud brick (adobe), or straw-reinforced rammed earth. Building primarily with wood doesn't occur here except in the jungle where it's palm-thatched huts. Also it's mostly brick or concrete in Europe too, even in places with similar climate to the US. I'm not sure why the US goes for wood so much. Especially when bullets start flying, or a hurricane comes, or there's a fire (as you say), there's no protection at all.

[@jimclark2824]

@@uazuazu Using wood in US is regional. Florida for instance is all Concrete block.

[@ministryofwrongthink6962]

@@jimclark2824 most likely because of hurricane threats in FL. I’d imagine that’d be more expensive than wood but mandatory

[@ministryofwrongthink6962]

@@uazuazu Probably has to do with cost effectiveness. And like the other person said, hurricane weather drastically changes the needs for home material in the states

[@datman220001]

At last someone talks sense. The walls have been some of the quickest parts of constructing a modern house. From an old time building worker.

[@Gordonz1]

I believe you are correct But is 3 D quicker

[@rya1701]

@@Gordonz1 yes it's faster, but the quality is much worse than normal concrete

[@datman220001]

A good team of bricklayers will have a house to the first level in about a week also you've got to remember that you don't need any electricity for bricklayers.

[@robjack3159]

Thank you so very much for your perspective on this topic. My wife and I have been considering inexpensive homes for homeless people. I and my wife at one point in our lives where homeless, so this is a major conversation of interest for both of us. Please keep us the good work you do in informing people of REAL truths.

[@brianb-p6586]

I have been considering posting something about the nonsense around 3D-printed "houses", but there's no need... you have covered the subject very well.

[@LaughterOnWater]

Belinda Carr is the Sabine Hossenfelder of the Architecture world. Architecture without the gobbledegook. This is brilliantly presented. One of 2022's Up-And-Coming Video Creators to Watch. Thank for this excellent segment! Stay safe out there!

[@csavage1947]

Thanks for making this segment. I have so much respect for the courage you show when you put a critical eye onto the many exaggerated clams coming out of our industry

[@peepochess1980]

Your brutally honest and realistic take on all the things related to construction is why I love this channel. It really is refreshing

[@KatBlaque]

I love your channel so much. I have no interest in architecture but you make me interested!

[@JC-mf4uc]

Didn't expect to see you here lol. Love your work!

[@1414141x]

How can anyone not be interested in architecture - you live , work and breath in buildings.....

[@marcorock7031]

@@1414141x Its Like anything else you're not interested in...

[@brookestephen]

HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, painting, roofing, windows, kitchens, computer networking... all very expensive to install/build.

[@imagiro1]

"(We need to) address the underlying socio-economic and psychological issues (of homelessness)". Thank you for saying this so clearly.

[@rrajdeep02]

Much needed. An eyeopener. Thankyou. Being an Architect/Computational designer experimenting into 3d printing, I had many debates with my peers on the same topic. Now this is a nice backup. Actually problem is many think 3d printing is like magic wand.

[@chrisgraham1338]

"It's a solution looking for a problem" is the best quote ever.

[@정병태-k6y]

I am a Korean developer preparing a small biogas system. Your video shows how to interpret and accept the fusion of reality and technology beyond construction-related technologies and materials. This is a very Excellent and brilliant lecture and can be applied to other fields. My interest is different from yours, but your lectures are very inspiring to me. Thanks for your teaching.

[@ladydainwinters8564]

How is honesty, truthful fact sharing, and educating others on a subject a buzz kill? I love your videos. Thank you.

[@SuWoopSparrow]

Because people want to feel good with delusions rather than bad with reality.

[@MarkCisOfTheLoonieLeft]

@@SuWoopSparrow How is feeling bad working out for you? Does negativity ever change anything?

[@SuWoopSparrow]

@@MarkCisOfTheLoonieLeft I dont feel bad because Im not lazy. My comment applies to the average person. The average person will feel bad when faced with reality because they wont actually use reality as a driver to make substantial change, hence the negative feelings. The non complacent people of this world, however, would usually rather know the truth so that they can make accurate change to improve their life.

[@rorscach1]

@@MarkCisOfTheLoonieLeft 😆 What exactly were you trying to accomplish with your comment?? You just made yourself look like a fool.

[@ShainAndrews]

You have my support. I embrace individuals that consider challenges in their entirety.

[@BelindaCarr]

Thank you!

[@randybrandt6062]

It looks to me 3D printed concrete would require smaller agragate and need to be thicker than site cast concrete. It would use more cement.

[@MoshiAngelic]

Fantastic video! Theres alot more that goes into the construciton that anyone thinks of with the basic structures of these 3d printed spaces. Especially the bigger thing I find strangly forgotten about is theres also alot of additional time spent on modelling out the home, Having tospend 2-3x more time with the electrical system and getting the pumping in without having exposed plumbing without sections built in a more traditional method.

[@ArchieFitter]

I love the no bs approach! Super educational and none of the fluff it's amazing. Keep up the great work! 😊

[@leadlearner6391]

Belinda, thank you for your no-holes-barred, stating the actual information regarding 3D printed homes. You summed it up in one word: Sensationalism!

[@marygunn910]

Absolutely eye opening. You've pointed out in clear language there are no easy fixes. At the same time you look forward to the technology growing.excellent.

[@foxyturbine7114]

Not a buzz kill at all. This video is very informative and an eye opener. The way these companies sensationalize these 'instant' homes is so unrealistic. Thank you for making this video :)

[@rikmorel4870]

Awesome video. You cut through the fluff and get down to everything that gets ignored in the hype for the new technology.

[@tmoney1876]

Your comments about homelessness made me realize that there really seems to be a mental block with people when it comes to housing people. They see container homes and 3D printed homes and they're told that they reduce costs. Then their mind goes to homeless people. It's a good tendency but they assume that the reason that there are homeless people is that there isn't enough housing or enough affordable housing or as a society we currently couldn't afford to provide those people with housing (I'm in the US). In reality, while there are some people who are unhoused by choice, there are more vacant properties in this country than there are homeless people. Alternatively, we could invest in public infrastructure to house those people. Instead, people wait for some pie in the sky paradigm shifting tech in order to solve the problem.

[@cdjhyoung]

tmoney 1876 - I agree with the tone and theme of what you are saying about homelessness and what is actually available for housing the poor, the US societal response to these issues have lead to horrible actual outcomes that have lingered on for decades. Consider the rent support housing the was built in South Chicago in the late 1950's and early 1960's. It was so crowded and isolated from jobs and food markets it was almost as un inhabitable as were the conditions of living on the street. I haven't followed the Chicago news stories about the street killings that closely, but I wouldn't be surprised that they were centered in these areas. I don't think housing for the homeless or impoverished can work if it is concentrated in huge clusters of hundreds of units. We need to find a way that this kind of housing is integrated into middle class neighborhoods in small increments so it does not result in negative outcomes for the already established residences. Habitat for Humanity seems to have a good model for accomplishing this. To my knowledge they don't build stand alone subdivsions, but individual homes in established neighborhoods.

[@tmoney1876]

@@cdjhyoung I don't love the idea of forcing the sale of property, but the more I think of it, the more I think that making it economically infeasible for businesses or individuals to acquire large numbers of homes for speculation and rental income could make things better. Getting those back onto the market and/or acquiring some of them for subsidized housing could create a situation where it is available but not concentrated while just generally increasing home ownership. The NIMBY argument made many of the housing projects happen and I agree that it caused problems. The worst part is that people (children and adults) benefit from living in a community that is diverse, whether they're rich or poor. So as a society, we're hurting the most vulnerable people AND missing out on benefits for everyone.

[@theidiotpunk]

I’ve been learning so much from your videos and digging up information whenever I come up with a new project for school ! This was very interesting: )

[@globalbuildtech]

Another great, balanced video Belinda My education increases the more of your videos I watch

[@ericdunbar6230]

I always thought 3D buildings would be of most use on the Moon or Mars. Where your not going to want windows. And the only building material around is sand and rock. You bring a glue to mix with the sand and there you go. Just bring your own air lock and oxygen.

[@skprog]

I don't think anyone who's smart enough to go to space is going to trust some 3d printer to make air tight seals. 3d printers make mistakes. And the idea of trusting your life and air to one is a far flung idea. Also everyone knows the cost of air on Mars is out of this world.

[@louisvaught2495]

@@skprog It's under active research by NASA. There are huge technical risks, but it's also incredibly expensive to ship stuff off-planet. Look up "additive manufacturing in-situ resource utilization" for more info. Air isn't expensive on mars or the moon - you can bake rocks and they release oxygen. There's a lot of technical development that needs to be done there, but long-term we are not planning to recycle oxygen, just produce it in-situ.

[@barbaraforgoodness]

It’s good to hear this informative presentation on such a hot and heavily distorted topic. Good work!

[@DruuzilTechGames]

Interesting stuff. Once in a while the YT algorithm actually shows me something of value.