In under six months, a robot can produce this home for as little as $300,000

Leanna Garfield

2018-04-17T18:57:00Z

3d printed house Branch Technology Curve Appeal Exterior Rendering 01 — A rendering of the Curve Appeal home. Branch Technology

Constructing a home by hand can be both expensive and time-consuming, especially when the home features a custom design. Some homebuilders have chosen to automate part of the construction process instead.

A new architectural startup called Branch Technology uses 3D-printing robots that can construct parts for homes.

The company will build a prototype of its first home, designed by architecture firm WATG, this year in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Branch’s machines will print the walls, roof, and interior architectural elements of the 1,0000-square-foot model over the span of a few months, and then a construction crew will assemble the components on-site.

Branch estimates that the production cost for printing the structure will be between $300,000 and $400,000, excluding finishing touches. But the company has not yet determined what the exact final price of the home will be.

The project's larger goal is to push the boundaries of 3D printing in construction.

Take a look at the home, called Curve Appeal, below.

Branch Technology will complete its prototype of a home using 3D printers in late fall at Chattanooga State Community College, the director of sales, David Fuehrer, told Business Insider.

3d printed house Branch Technology Curve Appeal Exterior Rendering 03

In 2016, Chicago-based WATG won Branch's Freeform Home Design Challenge, a competition to imagine the future of 3D-printed home construction.

Curve Appeal will span 1,000 square feet, and will feature a bedroom, bathroom, and living room.

3d printed house Branch Technology Curve Appeal Interior Rendering 01

From start to finish, the construction process will take three to four months. Installation will take an extra four to six weeks.

To build it, Branch's system will first turn WATG’s design into code that the 3D printers can read.

3d printed house Branch Technology Curve Appeal Section

Unlike traditional 3D printers that build layer-by-layer, Branch’s machines will create lattices, which they will then fill with liquid foam and concrete that hardens.

Inside Branch's 40,000-square-foot facility, four bots will create the panels that will eventually be fastened together.

Fuehrer said Branch’s method will make homes that are three to four times stronger than typical wood construction.

The construction process will also produce less waste than traditional homebuilding, because the machines will print only the necessary parts, he said.

The home’s parts will then be shipped on-site, and in four to six weeks, a construction crew will assemble the structure. Lastly, the team will add finishing touches, like plumbing and appliances.

3d printed house Branch Technology Curve Appeal Interior Rendering 02

Branch estimates that the prototype will cost the company $300 to $400 per square foot to print, excluding finishes, furniture, etc.

3d printed house Branch Technology Curve Appeal Interior Rendering 03

According to Fuehrer, this figure is still lower than what it would cost to fabricate the same home by hand, which he estimates would cost anywhere from $800 to $1,400 per square foot because it would require skilled laborers.

Once complete, Branch will gift the home to the college, which will use it for classes.

3d printed house Branch Technology Curve Appeal Interior Rendering 04

The company believes that 3D printing represents the future of housing construction, because the process is extremely efficient.

3d printed house Branch Technology Curve Appeal Exterior Rendering 02

Fuehrer added that 3D printers could be especially useful for building extraterrestrial colonies. In 2017, NASA awarded Branch Technology $85,930 to develop methods for constructing habitats on Mars.

On Earth, the team eventually plans to start selling custom homes and commercial buildings, but it does not have an exact timeline yet.

"We want to push the envelope of what’s possible with 3D printing," Fuehrer said.

Home Design