A French family just became the first to permanently live in a 3D-printed home — take a look

Engineers and manufacturers have been working to automate the homebuilding process for years, and some startups have already released prototypes of their designs. Until this year, however, nobody has lived in any of these prototypes.

This summer, a five-person family in France became the first to permanently live in a 3D-printed home. The 1,022-square-foot home, part of the "Yhnova" project, is located in Nantes. 

Below, take a look at the building's construction process and photos of other startups' designs for 3D-printed homes.

Yhnova was printed in 54 hours, and contractors spent the next four months adding windows, doors, and the roof.

The home was developed by University of Nantes researchers. According to BBC, they believe the next 3D-printed home could be built in 33 hours.

Construction of the building cost about $232,000, which is 20% cheaper than a similarly sized building would usually cost, BBC reported.

The University of Nantes teamed up with the city council and a local housing association to create the house.

Francky Trichet, technology and innovation lead at the Nantes city council, told BBC that he is interested in 3D-printing more than just homes. For example, the technology could be applied to sports halls, he said. 

Yhnova was partly funded by the Nantes city council.

A 3D printer was brought to the site of the house after a team of architects and scientists completed the design.

The device prints in layers going from the ground up. Each wall in the house is made of two layers of polyurethane, an insulator. The space between the layers is then filled with cement, creating a thick wall.

Yhnova was designed with wheelchair access, and all of its appliances can be controlled with a smartphone.

 

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