We may not have hit the era of hoverboards and flying cars as yet…. but when it comes to property, the future is most definitely here!  Last month a construction company in China made history with the completion of a new residential apartment building that was not built, but was in fact ‘printed’.

Cue the twilight zone music.  The five-storey apartment building was entirely printed using a huge 3D printer specifically made for this purpose.  Though we have heard talk of 3D printers pop up quite a bit over the past few years, the fact that it has found its way into our industry, and for a project on such a large scale, is mind blowing.

The impact this could have on the future of property is very real and the technology is bound to appear in Australia in the not too distance future. 

This is not the first foray into 3D printed real estate for the construction firm in question.  Last year they created 10 homes in just one day using a custom made, six-foot high 3D printer.  The printers ‘ink substitute’ was a material made from a mix of industrial waste, quick-drying cement and a special hardening agent.

The key benefits of this ‘3D printing process’ come down to three areas:

 1. Cost

The genius minds behind this project say their methods can reduce the cost of residential real estate builds by up to 70%.  This in turn could mean huge reductions for consumers when it comes to purchasing real estate and essentially could see the pricing of our entire industry change in the future.

2. Production

We all know the old anecdote time is money and in today’s society that has never been more true.  It is being claimed that this new way of building could reduce production time by over 50% vs. traditional building methods.

 3. The Eco Factor

In our environmentally conscious world, big ideas that can have big effects when it come to reducing harm to our environment are general big winners.  The fact that recycling materials can be used in this method could see it getting a very green tick of approval!

“It is not something I ever dreamed we would be seeing in our lifetime…. A printed building!   I love the idea and the cost and time benefits are really interesting,” said Hannah Schuhmann, Principal of HS Brisbane Property.

“I can not wait to see where this takes us into the future and for this technology to makes it’s way to Brisbane so we can learn more” she said.

What do you think of this technology?  Comment below with your thoughts on what this could mean for the future or call us for a chat on 07 3254 0888.