The cold winter has arrived! The 3D printed building pressed the break button.
A single drawing, a computer and local materials are necessary to build 10 houses in one day.
It is a microcosm of the architecture printed in booming 3D in the last decade, but today, the industry is faced with difficulties. In the past, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has published a document indicating that the number of workers gradually decreases, and we predict that the “spring” of 3D printing of buildings has finally arrived. However, this prediction is obviously not sufficiently precise.
Today, we take powerful buildings as an example to examine how architectural 3D printing has developed to date. As for the reason you choose, the reason is simple – it is quite typical.
Founded in 2017 and whose headquarters are in California, the United States, Mighty Buildings is an innovative construction company focused on the use of 3D printing technology to design and build high quality sustainable housing. The company’s vision is to reduce construction costs, improve construction efficiency and respond to global housing shortages thanks to advanced automation and construction technologies. The company uses a patented material called “light stone”, in sand and polymer, with strong resistance and good thermal insulation properties.
Mighty Buildings undertakes to apply 3D printing technology to the construction industry, in particular in the residential buildings sector, to provide rapid construction solutions, to reduce labor costs and to Improve environmental performance by reducing waste. In addition, Mighty Buildings also focuses on the design of climate -based buildings solutions, such as houses resistant to earthquakes and energy efficient.
During the eight years which followed its creation, Mighty Buildings raised a total of $ 150 million in funding, and its growth process has deeply reflected the model of understanding funding to promote development.
2018Mighty Buildings made a seed lap, raising $ 10 million, which was mainly used for initial R&D work, laying the basics of its unique 3D -printed construction materials and technologies. 2019The company has received $ 20 million in financing the A series, promoting more the development of its 3D printing technology.2020The company has received strategic funding of US $ 30 million led by Khosla Ventures, improved manufacturing equipment and an extended production scale.
2021The company continued to receive $ 40 million in series B financing, investors, notably Abies Ventures, and another strategic finance series of US $ 22 million. arrive2023Mighty Buildings has succeeded in joint stock funding, raising around $ 52 million in funding, providing solid support for its new expansion on the market.
We can see that the rapid development of powerful buildings is closely linked to its financing capacities, and financing has become one of the main means for the company to carry out development. However, with the company2024Stop obtaining funding, we are2025I also heard of its sale at the start of the year.
As an innovative technology, the popularity and implementation of the scale of 3D architectural printing are not only motivated by market forces, but also supported by the government in terms of policies, funds and social responsibility . The director of government allows this technology to better serve public interests of society, in particular in the resolution of housing shortages, promoting sustainable development and improving social protection.
August 2020,Mighty Buildings completed a residential attachment unit printed in 3D of around 65 square meters in San Diego, California, called “Mighty Duo B”. The residence consists of two modular units, which took 8 weeks from manufacturing to on -site assembly.
October 2022,Mighty Buildings has become the first residential delivery to Zero-net energy printed in 3D, the first house in a 3D printed community in California. The project consists of 20 residential units (40 3D printed units), each with an area of 109 square meters.
In addition, Mighty Buildings has teamed up with several developers and municipal governments to develop new community projects. Most of these projects are linked to public well-being and aim to respond to shortages of urban housing, low-income housing needs and the promotion of sustainable buildings. The government can provide projects with land, support for the construction of infrastructure, political guarantees and possible financial subsidies to help reduce construction costs and guarantee that projects can be used in the short term.
If the dilemma of powerful buildings is only an individual phenomenon, it is obviously a generalization. In fact, two other companies abroad face similar challenges. Founded in 2017, the icon of the 3D printed construction giant raised more than $ 450 million in funding, with an assessment of almost $ 2 billion at the start of 2022 on January 7, 2025, ICON announced the Local offices of 114 employees, representing more than 25% of the total number of employees. And its 3D printed construction cases are also very similar to powerful buildings.
For example, in 2020, Icon delivered 3D printed houses in Mexico with the new non-profit story and worked with breads and mobile fish to build houses for long-standing homelessness in Austin, Texas. In addition, the largest 3D printing community in the world, a project of 100 residential buildings, was also completed by icon.
Diamond Age, another 3D printing construction company in Arizona, worked with the main communities of the Century Home Century to build the first “3D printers” which were built using its technology, which was sold in Casa Grande, In Arizona. However, the age of diamond is now at the stage of asset liquidation, and equipment, including industrial quality 3D printers, buildings automation equipment, CNC machine tools and other equipment is sold at auction.
In addition, not only foreign companies faced difficulties, but a 3D printing company in national construction is also faced with similar problems. According to Qichacha, the company was even listed as a dishonest debtor by the Tianhe People’s Court of the Guangzhou district in April 2024.
Finally, thinking about the development of architectural 3D printing, to achieve healthy development, companies must have self -proclamation. In short, 3D printed houses can only reach a really sustainable development when they are cheaper and have better quality. Currently, 3D printed buildings are still at the informal marketing stage to rely on subsidies, so we must accept that this path must still be taken slowly.
