Steve Rosewell was using his 3D printing skills to create nesting boxes for endangered birds when the idea for a new way of making tiny homes came to him.
Having spent 22 years working with 3D printers, he had observed many attempts to use the rapidly evolving technology in house construction, and had been largely unimpressed.
But the success in creating new homes for endangered species gave him the idea of doing things in a different way.
‘The biggest issue I have with most 3D house printing being done around the world is that people are not printing houses, they are just printing rough walls,’ said Mr Rosewell, who runs Studio Kite, located in The Pocket.
‘Then all the other specialised trades are still required, I believe a couple of good block layers could beat these concrete printers on speed, accuracy, and cost.
‘So I’ve chosen a different route, where the house is printed off-site as a more accurate shape using recycled fireproof plastic. It’s completely rendered with a cement-based render.’
The result was a concept tiny home called ‘Jindi’.
Named after the Bundjalung word for bird’s nest, Jindi is a 32m2 tiny home designed with a self-supporting arch structure.
The structure is 3D-printed from recycled ABS plastic with glass reinforcement and fire-retardant additives.
‘After building this first house, I can see so many ways to improve not only the process, but also the practicality of the small house as a nice place to live,’ Mr Rosewell said.
‘Pursuing this process, I believe the costs for a building will plummet and the need for highlyskilled labour will go down with it.
‘A car costs $50,000, and is insanely more complicated than a small house. I think building houses in a more streamlined way like printing or assembling factory-made sections is the future, and will give us more time to go out and plant trees.’
For more information, visit www.studiokite.com/tinyhome.
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