It won’t be long before the cities of the world begin to look very differently than we know them now. 3D printed houses and other buildings have gone from a distant fantasy to a reality seemingly overnight, and 3D printed construction technology is advancing at an almost dizzying pace. New companies – and new technologies – are springing up everywhere, each with the goal of taking 3D printed architecture and construction further than anyone ever has before.
Cazza Construction Technologies may be a young company, but they’re already making significant progress towards an ambitious goal – the construction of 3D printed smart cities across the world. It may sound like a far-fetched goal, but Cazza has the the technology and expertise to back it up. CEO Chris Kelsey is only 19 years old, but has already built and sold a major tech company. He created the app development company Appsitude, which brought in over $10 million in revenue per year, when he was only 17.
Chris Kelsey (L) and Fernando De Los Rios
Along with co-founder and COO Fernando De Los Rios, a former Ernst & Young employee, Kelsey started Cazza with the goal of making construction faster, more cost-effective, and more environmentally friendly. Over the last two years, he and De Los Rios have been working with more than 50 renowned engineers from across the globe to develop the technology, which is capable of building a 100-square-meter concrete house within 24 hours, or a 1,000-square-foot house within 10 days, using only one machine.
Larger houses can be built much more quickly with several of the giant robotic 3D printers working together simultaneously, as well. Cazza developed a proprietary software to both design the buildings and control the machines, and the process is almost entirely automated, with only one person required to add steel rebar reinforcements as the printer lays down layers of concrete printing material. The machines are highly portable, as well, requiring less than 30 minutes to set up on the construction site.
The whole process is virtually zero-waste and drastically cuts down on the amount of water and air pollution created by more traditional methods of construction – plus, it reduces labor and material costs by up to 90%. Add that to the design freedom that 3D printing allows, and it’s no surprise that organizations across the world are scrambling to acquire the technology. Cazza has already formed partnerships with several countries in North America, Asia and the Middle East to be the sole provider of this construction method, and next month, Cazza will begin making the technology available to construction companies, real estate developers, and governments on a global scale.
“We already have the patented technologies available not just for houses, but also buildings and architectural structures of massive scale,” said De Los Rios. “We plan to release some of these technologies for houses in December, and the technology for buildings in mid-2017. Over the coming year we will begin showcasing more and more of our technologies, which involves far more than just 3D printing.”
Concept art of a 3D printed city by design architect Eduard Galkin
Cazza is planning to use their technology for more than just construction, although further details are being kept under wraps. Right now, the company can barely keep up with the demand for their 3D printing system, and has opened several additional manufacturing facilities across the world to increase their rate of production. They have also recently finished developing a new construction material that is ten times stronger than standard materials used in modern construction.
The company’s long-term goal is to make a significant dent in the global housing crisis by providing the means to construct inexpensive yet sturdy, durable and safe homes that are resistant to natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes in a short amount of time. Cazza predicts that within the next three years, most major construction companies will be using both their technologies and environmentally friendly 3D printing materials.
We’re extremely excited to follow this emerging company, and we will certainly keep you updated as more details about their new technology are revealed in the coming weeks. If you’re interested in partnering with Cazza, you can contact them here. Discuss in the Cazza Construction Technologies forum at 3DPB.com.
Concept art of a 3D printed exhibition center by design architect Eduard Galkin
