Technology is disrupting just about every industry imaginable. Looking for a house? Soon you might be able to 3D print it.
All around us, technology is being used to disrupt markets that have existed for decades – in some cases centuries.
From newspapers to taxi companies, currencies to television, telephony to banking – the dynamics of these markets are changing rapidly through the introduction of new technologies.
One market that may not be top of mind for most of us when considering the impact of technology is the housing market. Yet, it increasingly seems to be impacted.
It’s top of mind for me, because I am in the market for a home.
Not keen to be saddled with a bond for the next few decades, I have been doing some research into alternative building methods. That is how I discovered the field of 3D-printed buildings.
The idea of being able to download and print a livable structure may seem outlandish to some, but that’s what a few companies across the world are indeed doing. And the speeds and costs they are achieving are quite remarkable.
The first company to enter the 3D-printable building market was the Chinese firm WinSun, which was founded in 2003.
It famously built 10 houses in one day; built a six-storey apartment building; an office building; and suggested it could print Donald Trump’s border wall between the US and Mexico.
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