Architecture News

Mighty Buildings plans neighbourhood of 3D-printed homes for California

Jane Englefield

Design and interiors reporter

Construction technology company Mighty Buildings has announced plans to build 15 homes using prefabricated 3D-printed panels in Rancho Mirage, California.

The project is a collaboration between California-based Mighty Buildings and developers Palari Group. Construction will begin at the end of this year with the homes set to be finished by Spring 2022.

The project is by Mighty Buildings
3D-printed panels will form the houses

Once complete, Mighty Buildings claims that the development will be the “world’s first community” of 3D-printed homes with net-zero emissions.

Solar panels will provide energy for the properties. Individual houses will also have the option to use Tesla Powerwall batteries to store solar energy.

The development will be in California
The development will be in Rancho Mirage

The company has released renderings showing 15 bungalows that will be built using its patented Mighty Kit System.

The hybrid process sees prefabricated panels made of 3D-printed material made in a factory before being shipped and assembled into steel-framed modular houses.

Each panel is the equivalent of eight layers of traditional construction materials, said Mighty Buildings.

In the Rancho Mirage development, each property will be made up of a primary and secondary volume on 10,000-square-foot (929-square-metre) plots with gardens featuring rectangular swimming pools.

Clad with textured stone, the home’s walls will be punctuated with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and house bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as a fully-equipped kitchen and living spaces.

Mighty Buildings will use 3D-printing to form the houses
Each property will have a swimming pool

Other optional features will include electric vehicle charging stations, as well as artificial intelligence wellness technology called DARWIN. Developed by health brand Delos, DARWIN filters air and water and can programme lighting patterns designed to encourage people’s circadian rhythm.

The developer explained that the 3D-printed and prefabricated model would speed up construction.

“3D-printing allows us to build faster, more strongly and efficiently,” said Palari Group founder Basil Starr.

“The process is integral to our platform of streamlining home-building that is centred on sustainability of construction, materials and operations.”

The houses will be made from stone panels
A rendering of shadows cast on stone walls

Located in mountainous Rancho Mirage, the development will be minutes away from the famed Sunnylands estate, a property known for hosting high-profile politicians and celebrities.

Other large scale low-energy designs include plans for a carbon-neutral airport terminal in India and as a low-rise Passivhaus housing development in England.

Renderings are courtesy of Mighty Buildings and EYRC Architects.

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