Japan’s construction industry is facing a productivity crisis, as soaring material costs and an aging workforce threaten the future of the nation’s $625 billion sector.
But an earthquake-proof 3D-printed house is giving hope that additive manufacturing could be the answer.
Unveiled in February, “Stealth House” is Japan’s first 3D-printed two-story home. Building-tech startup Kizuki collaborated with more than 20 companies, including ONOCOM to create the home, which meets strict building codes for seismic design in a country where earthquakes are common.
“It marked the first time in Japan that a full process — from feeding design data directly to the printer, to continuous on-site construction, and finally finishing works — was successfully realized at a two-story residential scale,” Rika Igarashi, Kizuki CEO, told CNN in an email.
Inspired by natural cave formations, the 6-meter (20-feet) tall, 50-square-meter (538-square-foot) house took just 14 days to print on site — from foundation to rooftop parapet — using a giant gantry printer, says Igarashi. The exterior walls employed a “hollow structure” filled with a reinforced concrete frame to meet building codes.
