Spanish Startup 3D Prints Houses in 12 Hours or Less

It seems as though the world is filling up with 3D printed houses these days. Designs for a tiny 3D printed cabin and a sustainable 3D printed house offer solutions to housing crises around the world, and the 3D printed YHNOVA house is now ready for tenants to move in. Next week, Italy will be showcasing a 3D printed house built on-site. Those are just a few examples of the 3D printed houses that have been constructed in the last month alone – 3D printed construction has fully transformed itself from an eyebrow-raising idea to a real and effective way of creating livable structures.

The latest company to join the 3D printed construction field is Be More 3D, a Spanish startup that grew out of the Technical University of Valencia. The company’s claim to fame is the BEM1 pro, a giant 3D printer capable of printing a house in 12 hours – or even faster.

“This process allows us to reduce the costs of the building of houses by up to 35 per cent, saving time and minimising the pollution and labour risks that are caused by building,” said Be More 3D Co-Founder Vicente Ramirez. “Building a house can be done in eight hours by turning up the speed of the machine.”

Be More 3D hopes that the 3D printer, created in partnership with the university, can be developed further to become even faster in the future. Currently the machine is capable of 3D printing small houses that are 24 square meters (258 square feet) in size, but according to Ramirez, the company is working to increase the size of the houses it can print to include multi-story structures.

Be More 3D began as an entrepreneurial project three years ago, and quickly went from 3D printing with plastic to 3D printing with concrete in less than a year. The company was entirely self-financed, though as it has become more well-known it has attracted several supporters of its projects.

The BEM1 pro is being used to 3D print seven houses, with bedroom, bathroom, and living and dining rooms, in the city of Cuenca, in the province of Castille-Mancha in Spain. Eventually, Be More 3D expects to have many more orders, however, including in South America and the Far East. Houses such as these, that can be constructed in less than a day and for minimal cost, have been much talked-about as a possible solution to homelessness in underdeveloped areas or places stricken by war or natural disaster.

Other homes have been 3D printed in as little as 24 hours, but to do it in 12, or even 8, may put Be More 3D at the head of the 3D printing speed race in the field of construction. Although the frame of the house is built autonomously, Be More 3D’s houses still require a bit of human intervention, as most 3D printed construction does.

“After the initial build, we have to put on the roof with pre-made panels, and put in the windows, doors, taps and waterproofing,” said Ramirez.

That’s going to be the case with most 3D printed houses for a while at least, until someone comes up with a concrete 3D printer that also has extruders for wood, metal, and glass. I’ll be very impressed when someone comes up with a 3D printer capable of installing plumbing. Still, the fact that the majority of a house can be 3D printed never fails to amaze, and the fact that Be More 3D can do it in less than a full day is even more impressive. This looks to be a company to watch.

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