Housing for dreamers: how Ukrainians in Nevada print autonomous 3-D houses

In the city of Reno, Nevada, there is a workshop where they create the first completely autonomous houses at sea - a project of the Ukrainian startup PassivDom. They do not require connection to power grids or centralized water supply, and allow people to live anywhere, writes Voice of America.

Photo: Facebook PassivDom

“Most people are dreamers. Everyone dreams of living somewhere in the mountains, near a waterfall or on the ocean. In order to build a house in the mountains, you need to extend electrical networks there, provide it with water, sewerage... sometimes this costs much more than the house itself. By reducing this need, we have reduced the cost of the final result for a person,” says Maxim Gerbut, founder and CEO of PassivDom.

How the company managed to make the house autonomous:

“The most difficult part of the autonomy of any building is the energy component,” explains Maxim. “We have reduced heat loss by 20-40 times. That is, the energy consumption of such a house at -20C will be approximately 800 watts per hour, which is less than to brew coffee.”

Windows are almost impossible to break and help save energy in a home where two walls are actually glass. Therefore, the power of solar panels is quite enough for all the energy needs of the house.

“These are very thick windows,” says Andrey Stetsovsky, vice president of business development. “They have very high energy efficiency. They are filled with gas inside, they reflect heat, that is, they allow heat to get in and do not let heat out."

Doors that have a few more features work on the same principle.

“The thing about these doors is that they don’t have a frame. It's solid glass. These doors are also part of a smart house,” says Andrey, and open with a fingerprint.

Both the doors and the windows, according to engineering developments, are produced in Ukraine. In America, this turned out to be unrealistic.

“We thought that we would come to America like this, this is a very technological country, Tesla and iPhone are produced here, but when we came with our ideas to American manufacturers, for some reason they decided that we were building a spaceship, and the price was appropriate - like for a spaceship. After that, we were forced to turn to our Ukrainian guys, and the only question they asked was: when do you need these doors?”

The guys say: in their house there is not a single standard solution. Here is a monolithic frame that is printed on a tri-de printer - a mixture of materials that, they say, will not collapse in any climate.

“If we compare such polymers with ordinary stones, bricks or wood, from which classical buildings are built, then this polymer is hundreds of times more durable.”

The same coating is used, for example, for yachts.

Photo: Facebook PassivDom

Next, install solar panels, windows, doors, as well as all computer equipment.

Anton Getman, head of the technology department, is responsible for all technological solutions - almost 200 sensors that monitor home health.

“This is essentially an automation that controls the house. We have installed more than 15 microcomputers that perform various tasks. They manage water supply, air purification and recovery systems, light, and energy systems.”

Thanks to this, the house can actually think independently: according to the weather, not only to regulate the light, but even to advise when it is better to wash it with the least energy. Another function: monitoring the health of residents.

“We have an infrared matrix,” says Anton, “that we developed, which creates heat spots behind people’s movements. Analyzing movements, we see that a person, for example, lay down on the bed and does not get up for a long time, or begins to cool down or overheat. By controlling these processes, we can, for example, call an ambulance or inform relatives.”

If desired, the house can be equipped with a system for generating water from air humidity. More than 1000 liters of water can be delivered independently and stored in built-in tanks. The shower in the house - using space technology - spends only up to 9 liters at a time. Water purification systems allow it to be reused.

Photo: Facebook PassivDom

How much is a smart home:

House price 38 square meters - from 64 to 200 dollars.

“The initial cost of this house is usually more expensive than a classic one,” says Maxim, “but if you consider that you will never again pay for electricity, for gas, almost for water, then such a house is almost free, for the entire life".

Andrey explains that due to the fact that the house is monolithic and mobile, you can save on the site where it will stand.

“This house is not a permanent structure; it can be easily transported. A house may be located on land that does not require a permanent building permit, and therefore this land is much cheaper.”

Maxim says that this house also does not emit carbon, does not harm the environment.

“One of the most important functions of this house is security. Not only from the zombie apocalypse, but also from hurricanes and disasters. Please note that the house has a supply of drinking water and a supply of energy for several months. That is, if, God forbid, something cataclysmic happens, you can wait out any cataclysms inside this house.”

Mass production of houses is planned to start in mid-2019. Now there are no analogues to such a house.

“This is not a revolutionary step. I think this is an evolutionary step. And I believe that the entire industry will develop this way. There is almost no alternative. This will happen 100%. But we are bringing this future closer to us a little faster,” says Maxim.

More than 70% of PassivDom’s customers are from the United States, which is why production was launched in this country.

On the startup site also indicated that “PassivDom is the warmest house in the world” due to its window technology, as well as the powerful work of solar panels. Even in the absence of the sun for two weeks, the house will function properly, say the developers.

Due to the low heat loss, such a house does not need much energy for heating or cooling.

In the cheap single-module version of the house, which resembles a one-room apartment ($64000), the reserve receives a small “house with finished surfaces inside and outside, as well as windows and doors prepared for these engineering systems, but without furniture and the engineering systems themselves,” - Herbut explained.

But the most expensive single-module option ($97000) is already completely autonomous, has furniture, and all its accessories are connected to the Internet - this means that they can be controlled using a mobile phone from anywhere in the world. In other words, this is a true futuristic home of the Internet of Things. It has everything you could need, including wine glasses, according to the official website.

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