Hopefully, we all know not to throw stones at glass houses. Aside from not being very neighborly, the practice isn’t sustainable.
Constantly repairing and rebuilding is a waste of time, effort, money and resources. In fact, the traditional home-building process itself—regardless of stones, sly wolves or natural disasters—is inefficient and decidedly unfriendly (environmentally speaking).
But there could be a better way. One that teams additive manufacturing (AM) with green materials, while promising to erect structures much faster and cheaper. That’s the impetus behind “BioHome3D.” Despite sounding like a virtual-reality summer blockbuster movie from the ’90s, the project is grounded in the real world with tangible benefits to the building industry, consumers and our beloved planet.
Described as “the world’s first bio-based, fully recyclable, highly insulated 3D-printed house,” BioHome3D teams the ingenuity and resources of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee with several Maine-based organizations, including the University of Maine and its Advanced Structures & Composites Center (ASCC), the state’s housing authority, Maine Technology Institute and WBRC Inc., a Bangor-based architectural design firm.
Together, the partners designed and built a 600-sq-ft prototype home that consists of three modules (a bedroom, kitchen/living room and bathroom/foyer) with one-piece 3D-printed floors, walls and ceilings made of wood fibers and bio-resins. The house is fully recyclable and uses 100% wood insulation. Construction waste was nearly eliminated due to the precision of the printing process, according to the partners. ASCC can build the modules—on what’s touted as the world’s largest polymer 3D printer—off-site in as little as two days. The team now is working to improve the design to use fewer materials, reduce weight and cut costs.
The project received SME’s Aubin AM Case Study Award, which recognizes innovations in the application of additive manufacturing. The award was announced at this year’s RAPID + TCT show in Chicago (May 2-4).
Proponents say that 3D-printed homes can help alleviate labor shortages and supply chain issues that drive costs through the roof and constrict the availability of affordable housing. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there’s a shortage of 7.3 million affordable rental homes in the United States.
Residing on a foundation near the ASCC in Orono, Maine, BioHome3D is equipped with thermal, environmental and structural monitoring sensors to assess how the structure stands up to frosty climates. While the prototype home is described as a proof-of-concept “moonshot” to gather data about its long-term feasibility, the team already has a contract to build nine more houses.
The goal is for people to begin living in the houses next year, which would be a true home-grown solution!
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