15
Industry Trends
NEW HOMES,
FRESH OFF THE PRINTER
With the recent rise in popularity
of 3D printing, building industry
professionals are going to see
a change in the design and
construction of homes in the
near future. 3D printers have the potential to impact not only the smaller aspects
of home design, such as model-building, but also the larger features like the actual
components used in the construction of a home or building. In 3D printing, architects
have been given a whole newway of looking at home design. No longer constrained
by hand-built models, architects can use the computer-assisted 3D printers to create
new and interesting designs that will change the entire landscape of home design.
And with the prices of small-scale printers becoming increasingly affordable, smaller
design firms have more incentive to try out the new technology. On a larger scale, 3D
printers also have the capability of producing components used to build homes.This
type of mass-production could lead to greatly reduced costs in building materials.
MOM & DAD MIGHT MOVE BACK IN
The current trends in the housing industry leave homeowners’options open, and this is especially
true in regard to multi-generational homes.While many families start out with a single
generation occupying a home, there has been a recent rise in multi-generational homes. In fact,
the percentage of individuals 85 years of age and older living in nursing homes has been cut in
half over the last 40 or so years
4
. It is a common scenario homeowners are finding in which an
elderly parent or grandparent needs to move in.When the question“what are my options?”arises,
a multi-generational home can lessen the headache. Many new homeowners are making the
move to take full advantage of this flexibility when designing the floor plan of their new home.
