A startup is using recycled plastic to 3D print prefab tiny homes with prices starting at $25,000
23/08/2022
Plastiche riciclate
Los Angeles-based startup Azure is using recycled plastic to 3D print prefab homes.
The startup is now selling several models ranging from a backyard studio to a two-bedroom ADU.
Azure says it can build homes 70% faster and 30% cheaper than "traditional home construction methods."
Why "reduce, reuse, recycle" when you can just turn your plastic waste into homes?
This may sound like a far-fetched idea, but that's exactly what one 3D printing home construction startup in Los Angeles is trying to do.
This may sound like a far-fetched idea, but that's exactly what one 3D printing home construction startup in Los Angeles is trying to do.
Most 3D printing home builders currently use a form of concrete to create their homes, whether it be a proprietary mix or pure concrete.
But Azure is saying goodbye to this drab grey look by taking a more sustainable approach …
… giving a second life to plastic once destined for landfills or incineration.
Over 60% of Azure's printing material will use the inherently waterproof plastic polymer often found in plastic bottles and packaging for food, according to the startup.
It's currently working with three suppliers to source "post-industrial plastic" for its printing mix, Ross Maguire, who cofounded Azure to make construction more efficient and sustainable, told Insider.
But in the future, the goal is to use post-consumer plastic: "Our supply chain should never be short in our lifetime," he said.
According to its biggest proponents, by using printers instead of people, homes can be built more efficiently using less waste, materials, and time.
And Azure will be no different: The startup says it can build homes 70% faster and 30% cheaper than "traditional home construction methods" by 3D printing the floor, roof, and walls of its models inside its factory.
And with the help of prefabrication, before a unit leaves Azure's 10,000-square-foot factory in Los Angeles, 99% of its finishes will be complete, Maguire said.
So when it arrives on site via a flatbed truck, the only necessary on-site work will be to connect the home to its foundation and utilities.
A startup is using recycled plastic to 3D print prefab tiny homes with prices starting at $25,000
23/08/2022
Plastiche riciclate
Los Angeles-based startup Azure is using recycled plastic to 3D print prefab homes.
The startup is now selling several models ranging from a backyard studio to a two-bedroom ADU.
Azure says it can build homes 70% faster and 30% cheaper than "traditional home construction methods."
Why "reduce, reuse, recycle" when you can just turn your plastic waste into homes?
This may sound like a far-fetched idea, but that's exactly what one 3D printing home construction startup in Los Angeles is trying to do.
This may sound like a far-fetched idea, but that's exactly what one 3D printing home construction startup in Los Angeles is trying to do.
Most 3D printing home builders currently use a form of concrete to create their homes, whether it be a proprietary mix or pure concrete.
But Azure is saying goodbye to this drab grey look by taking a more sustainable approach …
… giving a second life to plastic once destined for landfills or incineration.
Over 60% of Azure's printing material will use the inherently waterproof plastic polymer often found in plastic bottles and packaging for food, according to the startup.
It's currently working with three suppliers to source "post-industrial plastic" for its printing mix, Ross Maguire, who cofounded Azure to make construction more efficient and sustainable, told Insider.
But in the future, the goal is to use post-consumer plastic: "Our supply chain should never be short in our lifetime," he said.
According to its biggest proponents, by using printers instead of people, homes can be built more efficiently using less waste, materials, and time.
And Azure will be no different: The startup says it can build homes 70% faster and 30% cheaper than "traditional home construction methods" by 3D printing the floor, roof, and walls of its models inside its factory.
And with the help of prefabrication, before a unit leaves Azure's 10,000-square-foot factory in Los Angeles, 99% of its finishes will be complete, Maguire said.
So when it arrives on site via a flatbed truck, the only necessary on-site work will be to connect the home to its foundation and utilities.
