企业家用3D技术打印房屋（在线收听）

企业家用3D技术打印房屋

Housing shortages affect both developed and developing countries, so entrepreneurs are trying to find new ways to solve the problem.

3-D printers are rapidly entering all levels of industry, including construction.

3D打印机已经快速进入包括建筑业在内的各个行业。

Last December in Nanjing, the Chinese 3-D Research Printing Institute opened an exhibition in a house built with elements created by a giant 3-D printer. The machine extrudes layer upon layer of concrete-based material, creating construction elements. That eliminates the need for large construction crews, saving money.

去年12月在南京，中国3D打印研究所展示了用巨型3D打印机打印的部件制成的房屋。这个机器压制一层层的混凝土材料，制造出建筑部件，这样就无需大批建筑工人，节省了资金。

Ma Yih, chief executive of WinSun Engineering, said the three-story house was built in three days, mostly of recycled materials.

WinSun工程公司总裁马毅称这个三层房屋是在三天内建成的，所用大多是回收材料。

“We use urban construction waste, mine tailings and urban solid wastes as raw materials," he said. "We sort them by category, and we transform them into a special printing ink.”

“我们使用城市建筑废料、尾矿和城市固体垃圾作为原材料，然后将它们归类，将之转化为特殊的打印墨水。”

Instead of waste material, architects in Amsterdam are experimenting with a mix of one-quarter plastic microfibers and three-quarters plant-based oil. They say traditional building construction is inefficient and creates a lot of pollution, while 3-D printing reduces waste and other costs.

除了用废弃材料外，达姆斯特丹的建筑师们在实验用四分之一份的塑料微纤维和四分之三份的植物油基混合物来打印。他们说传统的房屋建筑不高效，还会制造大量污染，而3D打印能减少垃圾，还能节约成本。

Another advantage, said DUS Architects co-founder Hans Vermeulen, is the flexibility of 3-D printers.

DUS建筑公司联合创始者汉斯·韦尔默朗说另一个优势是3D打印机的灵活性。

“Digital fabrication allows us and allows customers to tweak designs into their own personal needs,” he said.

“数字化制造能让我们和客户调整设计以满足自身需要。”

Vermeulen added that 3D-printed houses can easily be taken down and reassembled elsewhere.

韦尔默朗说3D打印的房屋可以轻易被推倒并在其他地方重建。

In Nigeria, unavailability of cutting-edge technology does not discourage entrepreneurs in the search for innovative housing solutions.

在尼日利亚，尽管缺少尖端技术，但这并没有妨碍企业家们寻找创新的建筑方法。

Out of millions who live in shacks because traditionally built houses and apartments are too expensive, at least some will be able to save enough for a house that can be built in just seven days.

由于传统房屋和公寓太贵，有数百万人居住在棚户区，其中至少一些人能省下钱来，用于建造可在7天内完工的房屋。

A company called Tempohousing uses shipping containers, made of corrugated fiberboard or steel. Managing partner Dele Ladipo said the company's fast construction attracts customers.

一个名叫Tempohousing的公司使用瓦楞纸板或钢铁制成的船运集装箱，合伙人Dele Ladipo说该公司的速成建筑吸引了消费者。

“Our solution, compared to traditional concrete, is about 25 to 30 percent cheaper than if you build the same structure using concrete,” he said.

“与传统混凝土相比，与使用混凝土建造同样的房屋相比，我们的建筑办法可以节省25%到30%的成本。”

Container walls are covered with insulating material and panels that hide electrical and plumbing installations. Steel rods provide a rigid structure, and roofs are covered by roofing material, but there is no need for bricks or concrete.

集装箱墙体覆盖有绝缘材料和能掩藏电力和管道装置的面板，而钢条能提供坚固的结构，屋顶覆盖有屋面材料，但是无需砖头或混凝土。

Although most of the customers are businesses and hotels, Ladipo said private clients are showing interest.

尽管大多数客户都是企业和酒店，但Ladipo说私人客户也表现出兴趣。

“The African mentality is changing a little bit," he said. "The cost of housing, cost of land, is so much now that everyone is looking for an alternative option.”

“非洲人的心态有所改变，房屋和土地成本使得人人都在寻找其他的办法。”

As traditionally built homes are still beyond reach for many, experts say only alternative building methods can hope to ease the enormous housing shortages in most of the world’s developing countries.

由于传统建造的房屋对很多人来说仍遥不可及，专家称只有新型建筑方法能有希望缓解全世界大多数发展中国家巨大的房屋缺口。