Hasta La Ideas

A new page is turning in the thickening book on 3D printed architecture. This time our idealistic concrete fabricators are from Russia’s Apis Cor, and their claim to greatness— a residential tiny home printed in 24 hours—debuted this February. 

That land speed doesn’t pose a great challenge to Chinese builders’ efforts, where up to 10 houses can be constructed in a day and repurpose industrial waste, but the final product is certainly interesting to look at. With a circular and semi-open 38 square meter floor plan, the homes offer an intriguing alternative to cramped studio apartments. 

The homes are printed on site using a bio-polymer cement, and the company claims they can withstand a great deal of weather and geologic abuse. While the long-term value of their design and tech will have to be seen, the single room house feels like a gentle update to many of the idealistic bubble homes and expanded concrete architecture from the 1950s-’70s.

The mini homes can’t exactly address the land scarcity driving up living costs in urban areas of the United States, but the printing tech appears to be picking up speed. If they live up to their touted efficiency, they might make way for a new era of moderately sized concrete innovation.