One of the most fascinating things about the tech field is how people are using technology to solve civic, environmental, and societal issues. Among these many initiatives to resolve much of the world’s crises, 3D printed houses seem to be one of the most recent ones. There’s a housing shortage in California, so a plan has been developed by a company called, Mighty Buildings, to use gigantic 3D printers to print houses. They claim that “up to 80% of the construction can be automated…with 95% fewer labor hours and 10 times less waste than conventional construction.”

They also claim that the company can print a 350-sq-ft home in less than a day, which means a 1,000-sq-ft—or more—home can possibly be printed within a week. 

This community in particular is being built in the desert climate of Coachella Valley and is geared towards what Sam Ruben, co-founder and chief sustainability officer of Mighty Buildings, calls “the missing middle.” The middle class of California are often left out of the conversations about cost of living and affordability. They work professional jobs and want to live in a quiet, safe neighborhood close to where they work, but are often priced out to cater to incoming six-figure salaried career techies. 

The cost of these 3D homes being built will run from $595,000 for the 3 bed, 2 bath model, to $950,000 for a two-home option. 

Still seems steep in price to me, but it’s good to see people using technology to help solve part of a problem, since the problem is too large to solve all at once.

It would be cool to see them do more affordable options for lower middle class and working class people in California, soon. In fact, I recently found out that there is a program out there in the works. A charity called New Story has made it their goal to eradicate global homelessness by building homes using massive 3D printers. They can build the structure in about 24 hours and get the help of local workers to build and install the inside of the house. They run on donations to accomplish this ambitious and necessary goal. Recently, they have been working in Mexico to build these homes, by teaming up with a local non-profit called Échale.

So far, the charity seems to be quite transparent with what the money is being used for. Here’s to hoping they keep that up. 

It’s exciting to see how technology can make things more equitable in our society. Creating solutions for problems and inequities that we once thought couldn’t be resolved could mean a brighter and more stable future for generations to come.