Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because Americans regard living in anything other than a detached house as a failure.
Well would you want to share a wall and roof with most Americans?
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Startup Builds Houses by Pumping Concrete into Inflatable Forms
81–90 of 172 posts
Re: Startup Builds Houses by Pumping Concrete into Inflatable Forms
#82The most expensive bit in a building is the land it sits on. The denser the cluster of people the more expensive the land becomes. People cluster around jobs. The more the jobs get distributed geographically the less people need to cluster and the more affordable housing becomes.
Remote work is the way to solve the housing crisis. There can be smaller regional clusters of people working in shared offices or small offices but there’s no real need for cramming people in offices in densely populated cities.
Free range chicken and cattle farms have minimum space requirements, yet human farms require people to sit in overcrowded spaces at least 8 hours a day every day usually limited to the space of a seat and a desk.
Re: Startup Builds Houses by Pumping Concrete into Inflatable Forms
#83Finally, the real Airbnb
Re: Startup Builds Houses by Pumping Concrete into Inflatable Forms
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
Now, I'm from a place where HVAC is rare, and thus this sounds like a mold disaster waiting to happen. But is that actually best practice where HVAC is common?
Ventilation is not HVAC. Ventilation can be as simple as having openable vents at proper locations in a structure which could be manually operated to provide air exchange on demand.
> Ventilation is not HVAC.
That 'V' in 'HVAC' must have an industry-specific meaning beyond "Ventilation" then.
Re: Startup Builds Houses by Pumping Concrete into Inflatable Forms
#85Re: Startup Builds Houses by Pumping Concrete into Inflatable Forms
#86Re: Startup Builds Houses by Pumping Concrete into Inflatable Forms
#87There have been many variations on building houses with prefab forms, going all the way back to Edison. Works fine, but the result is a concrete box. The shell is not the big cost item in homes. If you want a small, low-cost box structure, there are companies that will sell you one. Concrete.[1] Metal.[2] Steel frame with wood siding.[3] [1] https://precastbuildings.com [2] https://www.butlermfg.com/ [3] https://www.…
I still dont understand why people keep talking about " House ". When 90% of area that needs urgent "housing" are in needs of Tower Blocks / High Rise Residential Buildings. We Need to find a way to quickly and cost effectively build a lot of mid to high quality apartments. Better heat isolation. Network Pipes ready rather than relying on WiFi. Note: Yes, I know zoning and planning etc are still the biggest hurdle.
Every time I’ve lived in an apartment or condo the whole building smelled like trash. They need a better solution for managing waste disposal instead of a stinky room on every floor.
Re: Startup Builds Houses by Pumping Concrete into Inflatable Forms
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
I still dont understand why people keep talking about " House ". When 90% of area that needs urgent "housing" are in needs of Tower Blocks / High Rise Residential Buildings. We Need to find a way to quickly and cost effectively build a lot of mid to high quality apartments. Better heat isolation. Network Pipes ready rather than relying on WiFi. Note: Yes, I know zoning and planning etc are still the biggest hurdle.
Every time I’ve lived in an apartment or condo the whole building smelled like trash. They need a better solution for managing waste disposal instead of a stinky room on every floor.
I thought the universal solution was a chute for rubbish to be thrown down ultimately landing in an external bin outside the bottom of the building?
Re: Startup Builds Houses by Pumping Concrete into Inflatable Forms
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, the vast majority of Europe builds concrete homes. We definitely get insulation, internal plumbing and wiring.
Individual homes in Europe are typically built from bricks, with concrete used for foundations/floors/ceilings. The work around internal plumbing and wiring is messy, though. A lot of abrasive brick dust is generated. I wouldn't want to be the guy doing this stuff. In a 3D printed home, nice empty spaces could be left in the wall while printing for all the necessary networks.
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Re: Startup Builds Houses by Pumping Concrete into Inflatable Forms
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
Dangers of pthalates notwithstanding, you do actually want an airtight home. Ventilation should be controlled and filtered with the HVAC system.
Now, I'm from a place where HVAC is rare, and thus this sounds like a mold disaster waiting to happen. But is that actually best practice where HVAC is common?
The big problem with the oft repeated "Let the house breath!" is that if you don't bother to control air leakage you're letting that unfiltered, unconditioned air percolate through the insulation which can be a good media for mold and mildew to grow in. Not to mention the fact that you're throwing away energy, even ignoring air conditioning surely you're still heating during the winter.
Ideally you'd have an airtight house and bring in fresh air through an ERV or HRV to save energy and filter it but even if it's just fresh untreated outside air brought in straight from a vent you'd still eliminate the moist air moving through fiberglass batt insulation and the occasional condensation on the paper backing of the drywall. One thing I really like about spray foam insulation is that your insulation is your air barrier and thermal barrier and you don't have to deal with air passing through your thermal barrier and potentially causing condensation. In southern climates the air barrier is always on the outside of the insulation and in northern climates from what I understand they put the air barrier on the inside. Spray foam effectively puts it on both sides so you're not compromising based on what location is more often going to prevent condensation.
Think about what an air filter looks like after a few months. That's what happens inside wall cavities in leaky homes only there's no way to change them and it builds up slowly over decades. There's a lot more surface area, but that only delays the problem, if you look at any renovation photos when a wall is opened up after a few decades they're typically filled with dust and grime. Even if you just had a 6 inch duct with nothing but some louvres separating inside from outside you've still eliminated most of the potential buildup.