Azure Printed Homes' 3D printing technology is ready for the challenges of a warming planet.
CBS News reported on the California-based startup's goal to speed up recovery after extreme weather events.
Recent wildfires devastated Los Angeles communities, destroying over 12,000 homes and causing an estimated $30 billion in losses. 3D printing could offer a rapid solution to build new, high-quality, and affordable homes.
Ross Maguire, CEO of Azure Printed Homes, told CBS News that one of its 3D printers can print a 180-square-foot unit in only 24 hours. Three printers can print units over 500 square feet. In under two weeks, these finished units are delivered ready to use.
The concept of a 3D-printed home has been around since 2021. The technology quickly generated interest in its potential to address the housing crisis.
Azure was founded to reduce the complexity of the construction industry. Traditional construction is labor-intensive, costly, and time-consuming. Maguire and co-founder Gene Eidleman decided to shake things up, designing their own 3D printer and streamlined process.
What sets Azure apart from similar companies is that it prints complete modules at its Los Angeles factory instead of a construction site. This allows it to work even faster. Automation is 70% faster than traditional home-building, according to Maguire.
"That's the beauty of it being relatively automated from the beginning is that we kind of have to perfect it once and then we know that it can just repeat with that same precision," said Maguire.
Customers can customize interiors and exterior finishes. The units are completed at the factory, adhering to local zoning and construction standards, and are ready to be delivered as soon as the foundation is set. Installation only takes a few hours.
The average Azure unit costs about $35,000. The 3D-printed structure has no seams, which makes it leak-proof and insect-proof.
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Would you trust a home built by a 3D-printing robot? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
For sure 👍 "It's so well-made that probably the house will crumble before this one does," said Bogdan Popa, a homeowner who spoke to CBS News. One of Azure's 3D-printed ADUs was delivered by crane to Popa's backyard.
The walls of Azure's modules are printed using a material that is 60% recycled plastic. Maguire told CBS News that each unit contains the equivalent of 100,000 plastic bottles.
Repurposing plastic that might otherwise pollute soil and waterways isn't the only eco-friendly aspect of these 3D-printed homes. Their efficiency offers an exciting alternative to a traditionally wasteful and dirty industry.
Traditional construction is the largest emitter of harmful air pollutants, accounting for 37% of global emissions. Cement manufacturing alone is one of the biggest contributors to planet-heating pollution. The industry is extremely wasteful, with construction responsible for about a third of the world's waste.
3D-printed homes are already in use around the country; an entire community in Texas is being printed onsite. Azure is printing units for an extended-stay hotel in California. Soon, Azure's modules could be coming to a neighborhood near you. According to CBS News, the company has already taken $20 million in preorders.
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