S-Squared 3D prints 500-square-foot home in under 12 hours

New York-based 3D printing firm S-Squared 3D Printers Inc. (SQ3D) says it has completed construction of the largest 3D printed home in the world using its Autonomous Robotic Construction System (ARCS). The 3D printed building spans 500 ft² and reportedly took under 12 hours to complete.

SQ3D has pioneered a construction 3D printing process that uses multiple machines working simultaneously to autonomously build a home. The patent-pending technology—ARCS—was also developed with eco-friendliness in mind, as it is powered by a proprietary low-power consumption technology. According to SQ3D, the process relies on the same current as a standard hair dryer and uses less than ten gallons of fuel to build a house.

The construction 3D printing technology, which after years of development was introduced in December 2018, is reportedly capable of reducing costs by as much as 70% compared to traditional construction methods and can complete homes in mere hours, as opposed to days or months.

Ultimately, S-Squared hopes to use its construction 3D printing platform to create thousands of affordable, eco-friendly homes a year, focusing its efforts on impoverished regions of the world. According to the company, a 500-square-foot home could be built in a developing country for as little as $2,000.

Recently, the company took a significant step forward in this broader goal, building what it calls the “largest 3D printed home in the world.” At 500 square-feet, the 3D printed house is larger than another 3D printed home which gained widespread media attention: the 350-square foot home 3D printed by ICON and New Story. ICON has similar ambitions of using its construction 3D printing platform to build low-cost homes in developing regions.

“The company’s executive committee looks forward to expanding the projects from 500 ft² to more than one million square foot builds,” the company writes. “While 3D printing a home with ARCS’s is done virtually autonomously, there is the exciting phase where customization of the home can be left to the buyer’s imagination. Some might prefer typical cookie-cutter homes and others may have aesthetic ambitions. We are in a new age of construction safety and cost-efficiency with this revolutionary 3D printing machine.”

At this stage it is unclear whether the 3D printed home will be livable or is simply a demonstration of the ARCS capability. S-Squared has been reached for comment.