美国国家公共电台 NPR--3D打印房屋可能是建筑业的未来

搜索

复制

3D printed houses may be the future of the construction industry

Transcript¹

Affordable² housing advocates say 3D printed homes could be a game changer, but so far they haven't proven cheaper to build than conventional houses.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

The White House says the U.S. currently has a housing shortage of about 4 million homes. There are a lot of reasons for that. But in some places, houses just can't be built fast enough. Habitat for Humanity thinks giant 3D printers could make a difference and has now built its first two 3D-printed homes in the U.S. From member station KJZZ in Phoenix³, Katherine Davis-Young reports on their potential.

KATHERINE DAVIS-YOUNG, BYLINE⁴: Shawn and Marcus Shivers are thrilled to be moving into their first home. The most exciting part is that it's right in the heart of Tempe, Ariz., where they raised their three sons.

SHAWN SHIVERS: We've both lived in this area our whole life, so we were born and raised here.

DAVIS-YOUNG: But by the time they saved enough to consider buying a new home, they really didn't think they'd be able to afford to stay here. The Case-Shiller Home Price Index shows home prices are rising faster in the Phoenix metro⁵ area than anywhere else in the country - up 32% just in the last year. Experts say part of the reason is Phoenix hasn't built nearly enough new houses to keep up with explosive population growth over the past few decades.

(SOUNDBITE OF MACHINERY⁶ WHIRRING)

DAVIS-YOUNG: The Shivers family got lucky and are buying their house with the assistance of Habitat for Humanity. That means they're helping⁷ out with the construction. But the walls of this house are being built with a 3D printer. The printer moves a steel rail back and forth⁸ between columns that straddle the building site. Following automated⁹ plans, it lays a line of wet concrete a few inches thick as it goes. Then it coils one layer on top of the last, building up the interior and exterior¹⁰ walls of the 1,700-square-foot three-bedroom. Next, workers add a traditional wood-framed roof.

(SOUNDBITE OF HAMMER BANGING)

DAVIS-YOUNG: When they applied¹¹ for a Habitat home, the Shivers had no idea their family would end up in one of the first 3D-printed houses in the U.S.

S SHIVERS: At first, I wanted it for sure because it was so innovative¹² and new, and he was kind of skeptical¹³ because he's...

MARCUS SHIVERS: I mean, I have to worry about, you know, internet, plumbing¹⁴, electricity. Who's going to come and fix it? I mean, after seeing it now though, I'm a lot more comfortable. It's actually beautiful.

DAVIS-YOUNG: Debra Bradley with Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona says she hopes this technology will help the organization meet demand faster in the future.

DEBRA BRADLEY: You know, if we can get down to where we can build a house in seven or eight hours, the exterior of the home, and the cost makes sense and the product is stable and long-lasting, then why wouldn't we do that?

DAVIS-YOUNG: Only a handful of 3D-printed homes have been built nationwide. Habitat has only built one other, in Virginia. And right now, the technology is still too new to be cost-effective, says Mark Stapp. He's a longtime developer and director of the real estate program at Arizona State University. Stapp says framing a traditional house might only come out to 15% of the overall cost. So when it comes to 3D printing, he doesn't expect concrete would reduce the price of materials all that much.

MARK STAPP: We don't have sufficient amount of experience in order to be able to scale this and get the cost savings¹⁵ that people would hope.

DAVIS-YOUNG: But he says 3D printing could reduce labor¹⁶ costs significantly and help in places where there's not enough labor available, like in Phoenix. Stapp says he could see it making a difference maybe five years down the road.

STAPP: It absolutely has potential.

DAVIS-YOUNG: There are obstacles, though. Tempe has no building codes to address 3D-printed homes, which made permitting a challenge. But Habitat for Humanity's Debra Bradley says even if the organization's first 3D-printed home in Arizona came in over budget and behind schedule, the point was to show it can be done.

BRADLEY: And now we can take this and prove to the world we can do things differently and have a better outcome.

DAVIS-YOUNG: She says change has to start somewhere, so why not start with the Shivers family with their first home in Tempe?

For NPR News, I'm Katherine Davis-Young.

(SOUNDBITE OF REUBEN VAUN SMITH'S "UNDER THE THUNDER")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

3 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

6 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

9 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

10 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

11 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

12 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

13 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

14 plumbing   

n.水管装置；水暖工的工作；管道工程v.用铅锤测量（plumb的现在分词）；探究

参考例句：

• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche. 她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。
• They're going to have to put in new plumbing. 他们将需要安装新的水管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

16 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。