The biggest news is that they determined 3d printed homes fall in line with any other form of construction. Has 3D printed construction gone mainstream? Is this a responsible choice?
Check out the official Selling Guide Announcement https://singlefamily.fanniemae.com/media/36766/display
This will certainly enable many projects which were previously stuck on the back-burner but I am not convinced it is fair to blanket all 3D printed homes into the same category. There are so many different structural strategies and materials used to print houses. Some ‘printed homes’ use only spray foam like the old MIT projects. This article gives no guidance as to what materials are acceptable or what minimum parameters those materials should meet.
A huge hurdle has been lifted, now that Fannie Mae has opened the gates to 3D printed houses the next big step will be the home insurance companies. I can only imagine these things happen slowly at first then all at once, it’s surprising to see Fannie Mae mentioning 3D printed homes with less that 1000 of them built around the world but that number will certainly be surpassed in coming years as it becomes easier than ever to achieve these projects. We are entering a wild west era for construction automation and it is incredible to see! Just yesterday I was complaining about all the regulations in housing, how restrictive it seems and how the powers that be seem not to want solutions. Now they open it up and there is a whole new concern but progress feels great!
Now the responsibility lies on the innovative, forward thinking individuals we have followed along behind the camera for the past 4 years. 3D printed construction companies everywhere will be further enabled to build in regions previously on the fence and that adoption will increase the momentum even further. My hope is that through the integrity of engineers, the construction automation industry as a whole can demonstrate responsibility in the face of the newfound freedoms enabled by this Fannie Mae announcement.
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