The Rise of 3D-printed Houses 3D 打印房屋兴起

A batch of new houses across California is selling unusually fast. In the past two months， 82 have been snapped up， and the waiting list is 1，000 long. That demand should， though， soon be satisfied—for Palari Homes and Mighty Buildings， the collaborators behind these houses， are able to erect one in less than 24 hours.

加利福尼亚州的一批新房子正以异常快的速度售出。在过去的两个月里，已经有82套房子被抢购，而等候名单上的人数多达1000人。不过，这个需求应该很快就会得到满足——因为这些房子背后的合作公司Palari Homes和Mighty Buildings，在不到24小时内就能建成一座房子。

They can do it so rapidly because their products are assembled from components prefabricated in a factory. The components involved are made in an unusual way： they are printed.

这两家公司之所以能做到如此快速地建造房屋，是因为他们的产品是直接用工厂预制的部件组装出来的。而这些部件的制造方式很不寻常：它们是打印出来的。

Not only does 3D-printing allow greater versatility and faster construction， it also promises lower cost and in a more environmentally friendly approach than is possible at present.

3D打印不仅带来更多样的建筑和更快的建造速度，而且也让人们能以比现在更低的成本、更为环保的方式来建造房屋。

There are limitations to 3D-printed homes. For a start， construction codes need to be tweaked to accommodate them. To this end UL， one of America’s largest certifying agencies， has collaborated with Mighty Buildings to develop the first 3D-printing standard.

3D打印的房屋也有局限性。首先，为了适应3D打印的房屋这一变化，施工规范需要进行调整。为此，美国最大的认证机构之一UL与Mighty Buildings 合作開发了第一个3D打印房屋的施工标准。

While this is a welcome boost to a fledgling industry， most governments have yet to come up with country-specific standards. There are also questions about the quality and finish of homes built by 3D printers.

虽然这对一个羽翼未丰的行业来说是个可喜的进步，但多数政府尚未出台具体的国家标准。而且人们对3D打印房屋的质量和装修情况还有一些质疑。

Even so， the direction of travel looks promising. Dubai’s government wants a quarter of new buildings in the country to be 3D-printed by 2030. And India’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs wants to use 3D printing to address the country’s housing shortages.

即便如此，这个行业的前进方向看起来还是很有希望的。迪拜政府希望在2030年以前，国内四分之一的新建筑都用3D打印。而印度住房和城市事务部则希望，通过3D打印技术来解决印度住房短缺的问题。

If successful， building by 3D printing is likely to spread beyond housing. Opportunities also exist in warehousing， offices and other commercial buildings. And beyond earthly structures， NASA is exploring the use of 3D printing to build landing pads， accommodation and roads on Mars and the Moon.

如果能取得成功，3D打印建筑的应用很可能会扩散到住房以外的建筑领域。仓库、办公室和其他商业建筑中也有应用 3D 打印的机会。而且除了在地球上的建筑物，美国宇航局还正在探索如何利用3D打印技术在火星和月球上建造起降场、住房和道路。

Word Study

erect /ɪ'rekt/ v. 建立;建造

The church was erected in 1680.

prefabricated /'priː'fæbrɪkeɪtɪd/ adj. 预制的;用预制构件组装的

versatility /'vɜːsə'tɪləti/ n. 多用途;多才多艺

tweak /twiːk/ v. 稍稍调整（机器、系统等）

After exiting the installer， we have just a few settings to tweak.

boost /buːst/ n. 增长;提高;帮助;激励