1 Sustainable Tiny Houses, Straight to Your Door
Sustainability is a big buzzword in the construction industry, and Azure, a Los Angeles-based architectural startup, is taking it to the next level: the company uses recycled plastic in 3D printers to create pre-fabricated tiny houses. Available models range from a studio apartment to a two-bedroom. “The construction sector is the largest global consumer of raw materials, responsible for approximately 11 percent of the world’s total carbon emissions. Our responsibility to our customers and future generations is to use the most sustainable practices imaginable,” said Ross Maguire, the CEO of Azure, upon introducing the world’s first 3D printed studio made with recycled plastic last April. He added: “We have created production efficiencies not only by capitalizing on the advances in 3D printing but by creating a design and process that is completed in only 20 hours.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb
2 Structures Printed From Recycled Plastic
The 3D printed structures range from small studios (commonly known as sheds) to larger spaces that are classified as accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, meaning a secondary house or apartment that sits on the lot of a larger primary home. Azure claims to build homes 70 percent faster and 30 percent cheaper than traditional home construction methods like wood or concrete. More than 60 percent of each structure is to be printed from the plastic polymer traditionally found in plastic bottles and food packages. “Our supply chain should never be short in our lifetime,” Maguire recently told Insider.
3 All Can Be Printed in a Day
The models shown on Azure’s website are sleek, curvy spins on mid-century modern architecture, a far cry from the traditional boxy wooden backyard shed. The smallest model is a studio; the largest is a 900-square-foot two-bedroom. All are designed to be 3D-printed in under 24 hours and arrive on location, ready for use, via flatbed truck. The first homes should be available for delivery in mid-November.
4 What It Costs
The smallest model—a 120-square-foot backyard studio, scaled for a home office or a gym—is priced at $24,900. A 180-square-foot studio (good for a guest room or Airbnb) runs $39,900 and currently has a three-month wait list.
5 Company Has Bigger Plans
The company plans to build homes even larger than two-bedrooms by 2024. “3D printing is a more efficient way of building and it should only get better as we develop the processes, technology, and materials further,” Maguire told Insider. “I can only see it becoming more and more prominent in [construction] as we move forward.”
