[+] 3D-Printed Tourist Park Shape of Things to Come

Not so very long ago, the idea of “printing” a building was the stuff of fiction. Today, 3D printing is being held up as a potential saviour to solve the housing crisis, delivering homes in weeks, not months. And Australians are pioneering the technology that is creating structures for living at the bottom of the ocean, healing ecosystems and even life on Mars. Closer to home, NSW-based construction company Contour3D plans to up its production after picking up a holiday park project in Dubbo, in the state’s central west, for about $2 million. The company is in the process of drafting a masterplan for the luxury 3D-printed tourist park, collaborating with Group Architects director Julian Brenchley. The plans comprise 100 printed two-storey cabins along with amenity blocks, glamping tents and caravan sites. The 12.2ha block is opposite Taronga Western Plains Zoo, at the corner of Obley and Camp roads, Dubbo. Contour3D founder Nick Holden says he purchased the land two years ago and was close to finishing the masterplan stage. “We will then get that into the council and I’d hope to be starting civil works on the site by the end of this year,” Holden says. ▲ Contour3D printed a 75sq m pool cabana using 32 tonnes of concrete and mortar mix on TV’s The Block in the Macedon Ranges, Victoria, in just 28 hours. Main image: A render of a concept for the Dubbo holiday park project. “We are looking to print them in a beehive configuration, so we would have amenities downstairs, kitchen, maybe a bed, and upstairs we’d have a mezzanine level with a second bedroom. “It’s a very popular destination for holiday-goers particularly for the zoo, wineries and observatory. “The existing holiday facilities in Dubbo, the hotels and motels were built in the 70s and 80s so it is all very tired. “There’s some decent holiday parks there but I really want to put this on the map with a luxurious five-star experience.” Increasing appetite? Colliers director Liam Greentree, who does valuations for healthcare, and holiday, landlease and retirement parks, says buyers have not been exposed to 3D-printed homes so there is opportunity more broadly, not just in tourism. “The substantial number of home builders who have gone under in the past 12 to 18 months will arguably push [developers] towards more efficient cost measures,” Greentree says. “If a purchaser signs up to a fixed-price building contract, there’s only a 3, 5 or 10 per cent buffer. If costs go up 20 per cent, you’re stuffed. “So there will be more of a focus on developing these more efficient and cheaper building systems in the short to medium term. “There’s a large market for land lease communities [and they are] selling for $300,000 to $1.2 million.” However, Greentree says, most buyers aged in their mid-60s are interested in build-on-site properties that look like a standard residential house. Holden says that they are concentrating on scaling the technology first—getting their ducks in a row before expanding to this class of property. “We’ve got a hell of a lot of mum and dads contacting us for one-off builds and we’re not interested at the moment,” he says. “We’re not lacking customers if we want them, we’ve got a huge amount of enquiry for social and affordable housing from government sectors and the Indigenous sectors. “The Dubbo Regional Council wants to explore 3D printing to increase the supply—at the moment they have people who want to live in the region but they don’t physically have the housing supply. “The trades can’t keep up with demand and so the prices are high. That is why we did an amenities block for them recently as a 3D-print trial.” ▲ The 18.5m by 8m amenities block in Dubbo used 25 tonnes of Contourcrete, which contained 40 per cent recycled materials. Solving housing affordability Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson says they are investigating future opportunities to utilise 3D-printing technology “This method has the potential to revolutionise the way we build infrastructure and housing,” he says. “The Dubbo Regional Council is leading the way across the nation ... we are the first council in Australia to utilise this construction method.” The council has allocated four blocks of land for 3D-printed housing, which are expected to go to tender in the longer term. The technology is also being considered to create short-term worker accommodation for the region. You are currently experiencing The Urban Developer Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. Click here to learn more.

[+] 3D-Printed Tourist Park Shape of Things to Come

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