PassivDom can 3D print you a $32,000 house in eight hours
As 3D printing techniques improve we'll see more house builders embrace the technology to build bigger and better homes faster and cheaper than they do today.
Key takeaways
- Building a house by hand can be both time consuming and expensive, which is why more and more homebuilders are trying to automate the process.
- PassivDom's homes, which start at $31,900, are now available for pre-order online in Ukraine and the US, and the first ones will be delivered later this year.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2017) 'PassivDom can 3D print you a $32,000 house in eight hours', 311 Institute, 14 April. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/passivdom-can-3d-print-you-a-32000-house-in-eight-hours/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Building a house by hand can be both time consuming and expensive, which is why more and more homebuilders are trying to automate the process.
Now, hot on the heels of 3D printing house builder Apis Cor, who I covered a few weeks ago, a new Ukrainian company called PassivDom has announced it’s also using a 3D printing robot to print houses, and the results are quite good.
The machine can print the walls, roof, and floor of PassivDom's 380 square foot off grid home in eight hours, then the windows, doors, plumbing, and electrical systems are added by a human worker.
PassivDom's homes, which start at $31,900, are now available for pre-order online in Ukraine and the US, and the first ones will be delivered later this year.
What this means for your organisation
Build time is shrinking fast.
PassivDom's robot prints the walls, roof and floor of a 380 square foot home in eight hours. That is a task that takes far longer by hand. Builders who plan around hand-built timelines may find their schedules out of date.
Skilled work moves, not vanishes.
People still add the windows, doors, plumbing and electrical systems. The printer takes over the shell, and human workers take on the finishing trades. Job automation is rated Act now, so training plans should start today.
Watch the market, then prepare.
Pre-orders are open in Ukraine and the US, and the first homes are due later this year. 311 rates 3D printed buildings as Watch, with wide use expected by 2036. Set up a small review now, so you can move when the evidence firms up.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which of our building tasks could a printing robot take over?
- Which trades would still be needed once the shell is printed?
- What would make us move from watching to piloting printed homes?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
As 3D printing techniques improve we'll see more house builders embrace the technology to build bigger and better homes faster and cheaper than they do today.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity programme, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- PassivDom passivdom.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 14 April 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). PassivDom can 3D print you a $32,000 house in eight hours. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/passivdom-can-3d-print-you-a-32000-house-in-eight-hours/
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