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AssetID: 40528358

Headline: First 3D-Printed Floating House In The Czech Republic Will Be Built Within 48 Hours

Caption: The Czech Republic's first 3D-printed house is to be constructed next month - and it floats on water. Sculptor Michal Trpak and building society Stavebni sporitelna Ceske sporitelny (member of Erste group) will print the first house using 3D printing technology to demonstrate the speed and effectiveness of a construction technique that is claimed to be seven times faster and half the cost of building a brick house. The house named Prvok (Protozoon) is partially self-sufficient and suitable for the country, city or water and only takes 48 hours to build. Compared to conventional passive houses, printed houses can save up to 50% of all costs and are built seven times faster. Compared to brick buildings, 3D printing also generates up to 20% fewer CO2 emissions. With three rooms and a floor area of 43 square meters (463 sq ft), the Prvok od Burinky home will be built layer-by-layer using a robot arm repurposed from the automotive industry. This arm will deposit a specially formulated concrete, with nano-polypropylene fibres, plasticisers and setting accelerators mixed in, at a rate of 15 cm (5.9 in) per second. Walls will be printed with inner and outer layers, and the middle will be presumably be filled with insulating material. Within 24 hours, this concrete will set to standard house foundation hardness, and after 28 days the company says it will complete its hardening to the point where it's as strong as a bridge. The structure and materials are designed to hold up for 100 years. This demonstration home will be built on a floating pontoon, with a wooden deck around it. Moving inside, it's a fairly small living space for two, with a bedroom, living room/kitchen and a bathroom. Its asymmetric, layered walls give a glimpse of what a future 3D-printed home aesthetic might look like: freeform, without the necessity for right angles or straight lines. It'll be equipped with the requisite eco-tech: recirculating shower, green roof, and reservoirs for drinking, utility and sewage water.

Keywords: feature,photo feature,photo story,house,quirky,3D-printed,3D printing,mobile home,modern,stylish,concrete,architecture,design,tech,technology,construction,asymmetric floating house,future,48 hours,quick build

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