DIY housing gone high-tech

Two innovations that have been getting a decent amount of press lately include 3D printing and tiny houses. The former can (in theory) produce anything you can design on your CAD software of choice, including chocolate (and dragons…), while the latter is a movement that is building momentum as people are becoming more efficient with the space they have, like this 100 square meter house designed by a firm in Madrid. The natural next step? Combining the two: Wikihouse.

Alright, so printing plastic bricks individually would take forever and a day, but their plan is pretty clever:

Picture courtesy of Wikihouse under Creative Commons

1. Design your house using Google SketchUp, use one of Wikihouse's designs, or combine the two using the Wikihouse plugin on SketchUp.
2. Find a CNC mill (these are large, automated machines that cut materials based on CAD input, so basically a 3D printer for wood) or a machine shop to give the designs to.
3. Partake in some massive-scale Ikea-style setup. One of the Wikihouse prototypes uses a wedge and peg system, borrowed from classical Korean architecture, to stick the pieces together. 
4. Install other house necessities like plumbing, electrical, walls, etc.

While access to these kinds of resources might be limited, I like the premise because it allows homebuilders to design exactly what they want and have a lot more control over what is built. The company also acknowledges that the process still requires lawyers, contractors, and the like to make sure everything is safe and legal, but it's a good start.