A startup using recycled plastic to 3D print prefab houses is building 10 rentable homes in Southern California see what they'll look like

Azure Printed Homes

• Azure, a 3D printing home construction startup, will build 10 homes with real estate development company Reinhabit.
• The 10 built-to-rent homes will be located in three Southern California sites.

Looking to rent in Southern California as the weather continues to cool down?

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There's a possibility your next rental could be 3D printed.

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Azure, a Los Angeles startup specializing in 3D printed homes, has been tapped by real estate development company Reinhabit to construct 10 built-to-rent homes for three Southern California sites …

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… signaling the traditional real estate market's growing interest in the 3D printing construction-tech.

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Reinhabit's decision to work with the 3D printing startup echoes the sentiments of the tech's biggest supporters.

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Traditional construction is undeniably slow, and "California, like many states, needs to find more innovative ways to speed up the time it takes to build," Reinhabit's cofounders Rudy Dvorak and Kim Dvorak said in a press release.

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Enter 3D printing, which promises to solve the pitfalls of traditional construction.

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Startups that specialize in this niche but growing tech believe printers can build homes more efficiently while using less waste, materials, time, and someday money.

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By printing a home's floor, roof, and walls inside its factory, Azure says it can build units 70% faster and 30% cheaper compared to traditional construction.

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And to further streamline the construction process, the Los Angeles startup uses prefabricated connectable modules that can each be printed in a day.

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Most 3D printing home construction companies promise efficient construction processes.

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But unlike the typical startup, many of which use either pure concrete or a proprietary mix …

Brittany Chang/Insider

… 60% of Azure's printing material is made of a recycled plastic polymer most often found in plastic bottles and food packaging, bolstering the environmental benefits of 3D printing.

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Source: Insider

For now, it's currently relying on post-industrial plastic for its printing mix.

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But in the future, the goal is to transition to post-consumer plastic.

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"Our supply chain should never be short in our lifetime," Ross Maguire, the cofounder of Azure, told Insider in August.

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Source: Insider

The 10 Californian homes will be a mix of Azure's current models, which range from a $43,900 180-square-foot studio with a small kitchen, joint living room and bedroom, and bathroom …

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Source: Azure

… to a $204,900 900-square-foot two-bedroom home complete with a full kitchen and living room, laundry room, and bathroom.

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The construction-tech company also has two one-bedroom models, one with a larger living room and bedroom.

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But don't expect to snatch up one of these 10 planet-friendly 3D-printed homes when they hit Southern California's real estate market.

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The units will be built-to-rent, and according to Reinhabit, the Los Angeles startup's homes will "quickly generate a very impressive return on investments from rental income streams" even amid elevated interest rates.

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If you aren't interested in moving to Southern California, you can still preorder one of the startup's units for delivery in 2023 …

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… so long as you're not stuck in Azure's months-long backlog, of course.

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Source: Insider

The smallest studio unit already has a three-month waitlist, a local news outlet reported in June.

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Source: Spectrum News 1

This Azure and Reinhabit collaboration is just one of the many recent partnerships between 3D printing startups and real estate developers.

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Companies in Texas, California, and Virginia have all announced upcoming communities of 3D-printed homes, signaling an impending proliferation of the construction-tech.

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Source: Insider

"3D printing is a more efficient way of building and it should only get better as we develop the processes, technology, and materials further," Maguire said. "I can only see it becoming more and more prominent in [construction] as we move forward."

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