3D Printing of construction materials
In Amsterdam there is a publicly accessible 3D ‘Research & Design by Doing’ project in which an international team of partners from various sectors is working together on 3D printing a full-size canal house. Their goal is to revolutionise the building industry and offer new tailor-made housing solutions worldwide.
The Chinese company WinSun is able to print a 6 metre tall, 10 metre wide and 40 metre long house within 24 hours. The parts, such as the frame and walls are printed separately. They say this type of 3D-printed structure is environment-friendly and cost-effective. They are able to use materials created from recycled construction waste, industrial waste and tailings.
Drones for inspecting buildings
Drones are becoming a useful tool to complete inspections that are traditionally time consuming, resource intensive, dangerous or expensive. For example, Rich Fraser, owner of Elements Management – a US firm that surveys properties and proposes fixes so that buildings stay up to code and retain their value, has used drones to inspect buildings. Rich said “I would definitely use them again,” he concluded, “I’m excited to see drones take on new technologies such as 3d scanning into autocad/desktop 3d software and infrared sensing for close up heat loss analysis. There is definitely room to grow this segment and for drones to help keep workers and companies safe.”
The Internet of things making new houses more appealing to buy
What is the internet of things? It is referring to a network of physical devices, buildings and other items embedded with electronics that are connected together in a network. These items are usually connected via WiFi. ‘Intelligent Homes’ are a new wave of residential property and are being sold in the property market. They use various technologies, including intelligent fridges that let you know, for example, that you are low on milk and home automation allowing residents to control the house’s lighting, cooling, heating and blinds, by using a tablet. This type of home is continuing to attract media attention as it becomes more accessible.
Robotics constructing buildings
A robotic brick laying machine namedHadrian is being developed in Perth. It can raise the brick shell of a new home within 48 hours. It is fully automatic so it can work 24 hours a day. Local inventor of the robotic bricklayer, Mark Pivac, said “Our next prototype, the Hadrian 109, will be out hopefully working on-site in the next 18 months.”
China Vanke, the biggest property developer by sales in China, is recruiting robots to sweep floors and guard its properties to address a labour shortage and rising wage bills. China Vanke is looking to premium concierge services to attract customers and it said robots would provide some of those services.
Virtual Reality is changing the way we buy property
Virtual Reality (VR) is growing in popularity as a way of marketing – for example in the prime areas of the London market whose investors often live thousands of miles away, VR has become a popular choice for viewing many properties from a distance.