Technology

The Affordable 3D-Printed Homes Transforming African Urbanization

The cost of building a house is getting more expensive and often takes time to complete.  Have you wondered what will happen if you can get your house ready within 12 hours.  Most people have been trapped in poverty because of a lack of affordable and safe housing. When most African countries create mass job opportunities, building homes become lucrative.

Africa is suffering from a housing crisis that has left millions in poorly erected structures called homes.  While those in the rural areas are relocating to cities, the burden of housing has fallen on these cities.  Most cities in the continent are struggling with meeting the demand for new houses.  In Malawi, things have recently changed in terms of getting affordable and low-carbon process homes.

A company is changing this narration by offering us something affordable and fast in building houses. The company called 14Trees has operations in Kenya and Malawi. You get your 3D-printed houses within 12 hours at an affordable rate of around $10,000.  14Trees has made building homes carbon-free by as much as 70%. Imagine the effect on the environment when more houses are built in this manner.

The company has an online platform that is encouraging those in the Diaspora to come home and invest in their properties.  While the continent struggles with more demand than supply in houses, these 3D-printed homes are gradually finding their feet.  We have seen the first 3D-printed homes in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. There is the first 3D-printed school in the country too.

If you are thinking of creating cheaper homes for people, especially in commercial units, you can think along the line of 3D-printed homes.  These types of houses do not consume effort, money, or time. You do not have to spend months waiting to pack into your home. It takes half a day to get you settled in your dream home.

The revolution of 3D-printed projects is gradually evolving and meeting most of human’s needs.  Most countries in the world are taking advantage of technology to create different things.  To support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, Malawi is fitting into the picture with this type of housing project.

In places like Tabasco in Mexico, we have witnessed a 3-printed neighbourhood that can withstand earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters. These 50 homes come in the shape of a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and two bedrooms.   From Europe to the United States, we are seeing more of the structures that have been designed to ease the challenge of homelessness.  Africa is reaping from 3D-printed homes as the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) has partnered with a Chinese multinational construction and engineering company, CITIC Construction to build 30,000 homes over a five-year. In the future, we are sure that more of these housing projects will help Africa reduce its house crisis.

 

What do you think of these projects? Can you live in any of them if you have the opportunity? Let us know what you feel about their building technology.