Canadian city plans to use 3D printers to build homes for flood victims

Advertisement

In the western Canadian province of British Columbia last November, severe floods left many people homeless. The city of Merritt was particularly hard hit. City officials think out loud article in a local magazine is now investigating the use of 3D printers to quickly build homes to provide a new home for its homeless residents. The benefits are visible. 3D printed homes can be built much faster than traditional construction methods, which can take months in the worst case. The cost is significantly reduced due to less material consumption and more efficient work. We have already reported about 3D printing of homes in about 300 articles.

City of Merit Schemes Details

The city is currently investigating whether it is worth using 3D printing as a practical solution for homes. Recovery Manager Greg Solecki explains that the pilot is in partnership with University of British Columbia (UBC). The construction of houses of about 55 square meters is likely to start in early April.

He says:

“UBC saw the technology and engineering involved. And if we get enough money, we can certainly put the money into something like this and start printing these houses. Printing one of these houses.” It costs about $30,000 in the U.S. It works like envisioning a regular printer and how it prints sideways on paper, but you just multiply that by the size of 10,000 and flip the actual ink cartridge over. This one There is the motor which is basically on a stand and it starts printing these lines of houses and walls and it keeps running.”

Whether the pilot goes ahead depends on how the upcoming Hell or High Water fundraiser on March 13 goes. Solecki says that if some of the money is raised, the city could work with various public and private associations to raise the money. Then they could get a construction 3D printer and start “printing” the houses. Solecki believes that the infrastructure for a house can be up and running in five days.

Financing Your Own Build 3D Printer With Support

A construction 3D printer would cost more than a million dollars, which a small town like Merritt cannot afford. Partnerships with UBC as well as charities and possibly other levels of government can help get funding.

Solecki says:

“If we can generate some money, UBC can top it up, and hopefully the federal government can top it up, and we keep printers on site so that we can set up print shops for people who need to. It’s needed. There are other options like tiny houses and modular homes, but we’re hoping that the money they promised us from Hell or High Water will come so we can start bringing people home.”

According to Solecki, there are already some 3D printed houses in British Columbia. Merit can serve as a case study when it comes to rebuilding a community. In February 2021 we reported on the construction of an entire village with inexpensive 3D-printed houses in Canada. Some 3D printed houses have also been made in America with 3D printers. Construction 3D printer makers ICON and New Story have already submitted their plans to build an entire village with 3D printers in South America in 2019. Perhaps 3D printing will also be a solution for the people of the Ahar Valley, who lost their home in a devastating storm last summer. Anyway, 3D printing of homes in Germany is not an unknown topic. For example, the PERI Group completed a house in Beckham in the summer of 2021. We will continue to report on further developments in 3D-grenzenlos magazine (subscribe to the newsletter).