d+a | Issue 119

6 / MOOD BOARD / T hey’re good-looking, sustainable, affordable and 3D-printed. Meet the latest solution to the twin challenges of housing shortage and a shrinking pool of skilled construction labour. Mighty Buildings is a newly launched American construction technology start-up that offers a combination of 3D printing and robotic automation to build homes quickly without compromising on versatility. At thewarehousewhere it operates out of, a 3D printer spits out a home’s entire structural shell. It automates the process by up to 80 percent, costs 20 to 30 percent lower than traditional prefab methods, and produces 10 times less waste than conventional construction. The firm has also unveiled prefabricated, pre-designed Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) kits that can be sold to homeowners or developers alike. They range from studios of 350ft 2 , to three-bedroom homes of 1,440ft 2 that come equipped with cabinetry, HVAC, kitchen, and bathroom appliances; there is even the option of installing the roof with solar panels. Speed is another selling point; the studio, for THIS START-UP PROMISES IT IS FASTER, CHEAPER AND MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY 3D PRINT A HOME WORDS LOW SHI PING instance, can be printed in less than 24 hours. Slava Solonitsyn, Mighty Building’s CEO and co-founder, sums it up well, “Because we’re building homes for people to live in, we’ve been very deliberate in carrying out our vision to make housing better.”