While 3D printing houses for human occupation might be a short way off yet, smaller creatures can already benefit through designs like Saint H’s HūS birdhouse.
Printing in simply two parts – the walls fold up into place, to be made secure by the ‘corrugated’ roof section – it makes a pretty little home that is alarmingly durable.
The ecologically-driven and research-led practice has produced a great print-at-home design that through its process of manufacture is scalable to house birds from a pair of Great Tits, up to a Boobie [this may need to be verified…].
Working with the nice people at rapid prototyping bureau Digits2Widgets, Saint H is adding to its collection of eco conscious products – including the Bee Brick.
The biggest complication is the design of the roof structure. By designing a waved ‘S’ form it permits a bending arch to be formed from a rigid nylon 3D printed material.
It’s not as hands-on as making a birdhouse out of old scraps of wood, but it gives us a nice insight as to the direction 3D printing in the home might take us.
The HūS birdhouse is featured as part of the Design Museum’s The Future Is Here exhibition.
