First paper, then food, now homes— printing sure has come a long way since the Gutenberg press.
The city of Amsterdam will now have the distinct honor of being home to the world's first 3D-printed house.
Conceived of by Dutch DUS Architects, Canal House will have 13 rooms created by an oversized 3D printer called KamerMaker ("room builder").
The printer creates large bricks from layers of molten plastic, which builders can stack like Legos. The stacked plastic bricks will ultimately become the framework for each room, and will snap together to become the world's first 3D printed house.
Construction on the house has already started in the northern part of Amsterdam, and is projected to take three years.
"The 3D Print Canal House is a unique project because it is a building site, a museum and a research facility in one," says Hans Vermeulen of DUS architects. "By 3D printing the first building block we celebrate the start of researching the possibilities of digital fabrication for the building industry."
"We hope that in three years time the excitement of the visitors is still as fresh as today, and that the house has developed into a mature 3D printed building with different rooms, each with different constructions and material properties that all tell something about the time that they were printed,” said Hedwig Heinsman of DUS.
At the site, you can see 3D printed models as well as full-size versions that are printed '"live" by the KamerMaker. Visitors can also listen to an audio tour on their smart phone explaining the whole building process.
It has already turned into quite the tourist attraction — President Obama even stopped by in late March.
Check out more photos of the site and construction below:
SEE ALSO: A California Couple Built This Portable 'Tiny House' For $30,000 [PHOTOS]
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