Can we apply 3D printing to Real Estate? It sounds crazy... does it not? But just think about it, why not? But then it is also true... very little has changed in the construction industry in the last 100 years now.
Just imagine the potential that such a technology would have and the cost advantage the technology will extend to a Real Estate Company - quicker construction, lower labour costs, less wastage and a much safer and accident-free environment. Imagine the possibility to be able to print a complete well planned building or project or even a town right from the architectural drawings.
Well.. it is in fact now a reality... and a Chinese company WinSun Decoration Design Engineering Company has announced that they have built the highest 3D printed building, a 5-storey residential house and the world's first 3D printed villa. In fact, the company announced that they were able to built 10 houses in 24 hours.
In this 3D technology also known as "contour crafting", a nooze sprays concrete along a contour path to shape the walls of a structure. Buildings are essentially assembled in layers automatically along a grid: One section of the machine moves vertically, while another moves horizontally.
Personally, I see a great potential for this technology in all "value housing" projects and initiatives launched by many a Real Estate Companies and more importantly in the the Government of India's initiative of "100 Smart Cities". Well... it can be argued that creating a smart city isn’t just about creating the physical infrastructure — roads, clean water, power, transport and so on but then it would perhaps be a good beginning if we are able to convert an urban town plan as defined on paper considering all aspects as it is originally envisaged using the this technology India would still come a long way in its efforts on developing "planned infrastructure" in the country and would be a new beginning in the Indian construction industry.
Brick walls and concreting of the brick walls add to the cost of construction and in a "value housing" project the Real Estate Company's biggest challenge is to keep the overall costs down. This is where - brickless walls can come in and be used for internally partition walls and are a good alternative to the traditionally used gypsum or plyboard for partition walls and can be a great cost saver in terms of the material costs compared to the conventional internal walling systems. These products are pre-fabricated and pre-engineered with strong quality checks and are waterproof, termite proof and possess high strength and are fire resistant too.
The most important point is that since the thickness of internal walls made using these products is reduced as compared to a conventional wall, the Real Estate Company can get more saleable / usable area and also the project cost times can be considerably reduced as compared to the conventional brick wall system.
If the Government of India really intends to achieve their vision of "housing for all" by 2022, then speed of construction and cost of construction are two critical and important factors and it is time for Real Estate / ECO Companies to look and do things differently to meet the demand and expectations. Definitely, there exists a potential business opportunity for an Indian engineering company or a Real Estate company to work with Chinese companies like WinSun Decoration Design Engineering Company to manufacture 3D printers for the Indian construction industry under the "Made in India" initiative of the Government of India and new "Indo-China Strategic Collaboration" initiative.
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