According to its creators, there are several advantages to its beams. For starters, they weigh up to 80% less than concrete or metallic beams, which means that no heavy cranes or lorries are needed to carry and install them. Also, they save time and money on labor and materials, and they can be printed and assembled “in situ” — which facilitates their installation anywhere, regardless of how difficult it is to reach. Like that’s not enough, recycled plastics are used as the raw material, giving a new life to this product and thus helping move towards more sustainable construction.

The development of these innovative beams is the result of almost three years of research. “Our goal was to propose an alternative to the current reinforced concrete beams. These are made using profiles built for the length of the piece, which requires the expensive installation and are hard to transport,” says José Ramón Albiol, lecturer at the Higher Technical School of Construction Engineering (ETSIE) of the Polytechnic University of Valencia.

Following numerous hours of tests and trials, the combination of 3D printing, plastics and concrete provide optimum results.

The main novelty here is in the polymeric profile of the beam, which is composed of multiple longitudinal segments that can be assembled and concreted where you wish to install the structure. The beam is reinforced with elements that ensure the structure’s rigidity and which have no metallic component.

“This prevents corrosion, decreases the weight and simplifies the work time required,” adds Xavier Mas, from the Institute for Heritage Restoration (IRP) of the Polytechnic University of Valencia.

The system also removes the need for costly formwork and bending, making it possible to work without having to stop traffic at the infrastructure that is being worked on.

Plus, the internal (alveolar) structure of the polymeric profiles makes it possible to decrease the amount of plastic used — and therefore its weight — while maintaining structural rigidity.

This alveolar structure was inspired by human bones around the epiphysis, where there is a layer of cancellous bone with a trabecular disposition — the alveolar structure — and a thicker external layer of compact bone. “This is what we have transferred to these revolutionary beams, specifically to their profiles. It is a very intelligent natural system and its reproduction in these beams awards them, with the low structural weight, very high mechanical capabilities,” adds José Ramón Albiol.

3D printing makes it possible to manufacture customized pieces very near the area of implementation, which also simplifies transportation, saves costs and facilitates customization. “To be able to customize the beams in situ makes it possible to adapt the characteristics of each of them to the structural needs at each point of construction. The possibility to recycle polymeric materials to produce the beams significantly decreases their carbon footprint,” concludes Miguel Sánchez, from the Department of Systems and Computer Science (DISCA) of the UPV.

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Said homes can be made twice as fast with 95% fewer labor hours and ten times less waste than conventional construction. Additionally, on-site renewables and climate control technologies further reduce the environmental impact of Mighty Buildings homes — key features for both the occupants of the homes and the surrounding communities.

The company is also working with compliance and regulatory agencies to develop future-forward materials that are tested to the most rigorous standards with nearly zero-waste production methods.

Mighty Buildings’ longer-term vision is to use a combination of 3D printing, robotics, and advanced composite materials, paired with the latest in design thinking and strong supply chain partnerships, to create a network of micro Mighty factories. Such facilities can produce 200-300 homes per year in locations where housing gaps exist, creating sustainable housing options quickly, locally, and at scale.

The company’s projects range from pre-designed ADUs for homeowners to single-family residential developments utilizing their unique panelized Mighty Kit System.

But you can’t do it all alone, and in that sense, Mighty Buildings has been partnering with other development companies to support their construction efforts. One of them is Palari Group, with which Mighty Buildings is developing what is deemed to be the world’s first community of 3D-printed zero net energy homes located in Rancho Mirage, California.

Specifically, Palari plans to develop the 5-acre parcel into a planned community of 15 eco-friendly homes, built utilizing the 3D-printed panelized Mighty Kit system by Mighty Buildings. This $15 million sustainable development is the world’s first planned community of 3D printed homes and is centered around the integration of technology and sustainability. From the 3D-printing production process which eliminates 99% of construction waste, to the efficiency of operations with solar energy and weather-resistant materials, to the efficiency of the homes themselves — the project aims to minimize its environmental impact and offer smart and healthy homes to sustainability-minded buyers.

Featuring textured exterior stone walls and floor-to-ceiling windows, each property will complement its natural surroundings with mid-century modern architecture and will consist of a primary residence of 1,450 square feet, comprising 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a secondary residence of 700 sf comprising 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. Situated on a large 10,000 sf lot, each backyard will feature a swimming pool with deck and views of the surrounding mountains with plenty of space for lounging and desert star-gazing. Homes will integrate DARWIN by Delos, a state-of-the-art wellness intelligence solution to help enhance human health and well-being by improving indoor air quality and implementing localized water filtration and circadian lighting. All energy needs will be supplied by solar, with optional Tesla Powerwall batteries and EV chargers for a fully integrated electric car-home experience. Other upgrade options include backyard amenities such as pergola decking, cabanas, hot tubs, firepits and outdoor showers.

Furthermore, to support its efforts, Mighty Buildings has raised a total of $100 million from investors such as ArcTern Ventures, Core Innovation Capital, Decacorn Capital, Gaingels, Khosla Ventures, Klaff Realty, MicroVentures, Modern Venture Partners, Polyvalent Capital, Vibrato Capital, to name a few.

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The product is a 3.10-meter tall orange squeezer machine that is topped by a dome filled with up to 1,500 oranges. When someone orders a juice, oranges slide down into the squeezer and as each orange is cut in half – its peel falls into the lower part where they accumulate. Through a process of drying, milling, and mixing with Polylactic Acid (PLA) – peels become a bioplastic. This bioplastic is then heated and melted into a filament that is used by a 3D printer incorporated into the machine. The resulting cups can be used to drink the freshly-squeezed juice and then recycled.

“The principle of circularity is a must for today’s objects,” said Carlo Ratti, founding partner at CRA and director of the Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Working with Eni, we tried to show circularity in a very tangible way, by developing a machine that helps us to understand how oranges can be used well beyond their juice. The next iterations of ‘Feel the Peel’ might include new functions, such as printing fabric for clothing from orange peels.”

Visitors to the “Feel the Peel” installments can first-hand experience the 3D printing process, with the concentric layering of the filament building their cup right in front of them.

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