3D printing is behind plans for futuristic Sunflower Village
During a time of mass exodus from urban areas and renewed interest in rural housing locations, Sunflower Village offers a sustainable construction solution and a sense of community. This design concept outlines a clean and efficient housing development created with 3D printing.
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Sunflower Village is the brainchild of architect Valentino Gareri, Steve Lastro of 6Sides, which specializes in technology and wellness, and leading real estate company Delos. As the name implies, the development is shaped like a sunflower with a central communal area and 19 surrounding houses.
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Each of the single-level houses is 3D-printed, a process that influences the final shape of each home. Not dissimilar to the ways brick and wood have defined the shape of homes in the past, 3D printing lends Sunflower Village a futuristic and ultra-efficient design.
The construction process, often wasteful and resource consumptive, is streamlined in Sunflower Village with a concrete-printer machine stationed in the center of the development. The massive machine stays in one place during the entire construction process, printing one house and then rotating to the next lot to print the neighboring house. In this way, the machine can print all 19 houses with minimal site impact.