Skip to content
MarketScale
‹ Back to IndustriesArchitecture & Design

Homes and Hearts Are On The Way: Where Does 3D Printing Stand Today?

It may not be completely visible to the public yet, but perhaps no other area in the design and architecture industry has made as big of strides as 3D printing has in the last decade. Significant investment has been made in the technology, including by NASA, which is using the innovation to recreate lunar landing…

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Architecture & Design teams put it to work with Executive Thought Leadership.

Share
Homes and Hearts Are On The Way: Where Does 3D Printing Stand Today?

Get featured

Want to get featured in MarketScale Architecture & Design?

Create a free MarketScale workspace and get your company's expertise featured across our Architecture & Design coverage. No credit card, no demo required.

Request an invite

It may not be completely visible to the public yet, but perhaps no other area in the design and architecture industry has made as big of strides as 3D printing has in the last decade. Significant investment has been made in the technology, including by NASA, which is using the innovation to recreate lunar landing locations and models of space crafts.

Although there is still significant developments that need to occur for 3D printing to be accepted into mainstream architectural practices, it is still being implemented commercially today.

In the athletic shoe market, material is a massive differentiating factor among consumers. Under Armour is venturing into 3D printed materials to separate itself from Nike and Adidas, its two largest competitors.

https://twitter.com/decorhomesclub/status/1032487113181343744

Homes present perhaps the biggest opportunity for 3D printing. While it is still in its primitive stages, 3D printed homes have been developed and have the potential to erect homes in less than one week’s time while doing so for a much lower cost than traditional construction firms. With a labor shortage in the construction industry, 3D printing could fundamentally change the way homes are designed and constructed.

https://twitter.com/Eng_Lancer/status/1031125642069168128

As of today, the medical field may have made the biggest strides with 3D printing technology. Particularly in education and training, 3D models of bones, ligaments and organs have already become popular in this field. In the near future, many medical professionals are confident that organs will be able to be successfully replaced with printed versions, extending lives.

News from #SIR18LA: Researchers at @StanfordMed have created 3D-printed models of groin vasculature with texture resembling real tissue for use in training #medstudents on ultrasound-guided interventional procedures. https://t.co/QoDFlbZIad pic.twitter.com/nIsQPVbwUm
— Society of Interventional Radiology (@SIRspecialists) April 19, 2018

Inside the effort to print lungs and breathe life into them with stem cellshttps://t.co/yC67bVEa1Q 3D printed lungs sound a bit far fetched, but 3D printing trachea and lung tissue are absolutely possible. #digitalhealth #3dprinting pic.twitter.com/ajlB7z0jYB
— Berci Meskó, MD, PhD (@Berci) July 6, 2018

Transportation has also been improved thanks to 3D printing. Starting with small additions like better designed bumpers and fenders, the industry is already looking at rethinking how cars and buses are manufactured. At the University of Buffalo, this bus is being tested to see the practicality of 3D printing in public transit.

Olli, the #3Dprinted bus developed by @LocalMotors, participant of #In3dustry 2017, is undergoing testing at the @UBuffalo https://t.co/4kkYczTttW @All3DP #Automotive pic.twitter.com/igS7387LxX
— INDUSTRY From Needs to Solutions (@industry_arena) August 17, 2018

Learning @localmotors for #AutonomousVehicles conference. Wish I could drive this "Strati" – world's first #3Dprint car – made in 27 hours pic.twitter.com/EWaKP0am5w
— Mark A. Cleveland (@MarkACleveland) April 11, 2017

Animals, like humans can benefit from artificial limbs and organs. This alligator is the recipient of a 3D printed tail, and entire underwater ecosystems are being restored and developed with man-made models.

Mr. Stubbs, the disabled alligator, gets a prosthetic tail, courtesy of 3D printing. @NatGeo #3Dprinting https://t.co/MF6RnLFagh pic.twitter.com/s194lzVJm9
— Stephanie M (@Moosecorn) August 23, 2018

In efforts to preserve the aquatic ecosystem – world's largest 3D printed reef submerged in the Maldives https://t.co/Wu1gyJgZZ0#3Dprinting #additivemanufacturing #environment #climatechange #ecosystem #coralreef pic.twitter.com/fT1HeMJjxz
— 3dpbm (@3dpbmPulse) August 21, 2018

This technology is still in its infancy, but as more investment is made, especially by organizations like NASA and private manufacturers, it will quickly implement itself into every facet of daily life.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the AEC Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @AECMKSL

Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Architecture & Design starts with a company putting its architects, designers, and spec writers on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Specifiers choose partners whose work they have already seen explained, and your designers can be that explanation.

Get your team featuredSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

Follow Architecture & Design Insights

Get new expert content in your inbox.

Architecture & Design: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Architecture & Design buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. See how AI describes your company today, and where competitors show up instead.

Free workspace

You just read one Architecture & Design expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your architects, designers, and spec writers into the articles, video, and social content Architecture & Design buyers are searching for. Create a free workspace and see it with your own people. No credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What you get, free

Your own MarketScale Studio workspace
One video edit a month, on us
AI writing, editing, and publishing tools
In-platform coaching to learn the system

More Architecture & Design Insights

San Pedro Bay Container Volumes Hit Third-Highest Level on Record

San Pedro Bay Container Volumes Hit Third-Highest Level on Record

July import volumes at the San Pedro Bay port complex reached the third-highest level for the month on record, according to a JLL analysis reported by GlobeSt on Sept. 10. GlobeSt also reported that fuel surcharge pressure is concentrated on longer-haul drayage routes serving destinations farther inland, with surcharges across Southern California, the Inland Empire, Las Vegas and Phoenix averaging 31% above base rates.

  • 01Container rates from East Asia to the U.S. West Coast rose 170% since mid-May and 314% since the start of the Iran conflict in 2026.
  • 02Machinery, technology and AI-related equipment now represent 61% of customs import value, up from 15% in 2019.
  • 03Fuel surcharges on drayage across Southern California, the Inland Empire, Las Vegas and Phoenix have climbed to an average of 31% above base rates, up from 8% in January, GlobeSt reported Sept. 10.

Sep 9, 2026

AHR Structures $696M Senior Housing Deal to Skip Two Assets

AHR Structures $696M Senior Housing Deal to Skip Two Assets

American Healthcare REIT announced on Sept. 3, 2026 that it acquired eight senior housing communities for about $696 million across six East Coast states. The deal involved assigning two additional properties, originally part of a 10-community package, to another institutional investor.

  • 01Eight East Coast senior housing communities totaling 867 units acquired for $696 million across Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Georgia.
  • 02AHR structured the deal by purchasing eight of ten marketed properties and assigning agreements for the two unwanted assets to another investor at AHR's allocated basis.
  • 03Year-to-date investments for AHR exceeded $2 billion in 2026, including this eight-community purchase as part of a broader $1.4 billion disclosed in Q2 earnings.

Sep 9, 2026

Mass timber can cut weeks off schedules, but insurance and keeping it dry decide who wins

Mass timber can cut weeks off schedules, but insurance and keeping it dry decide who wins

Mass timber can frame faster with less labor. But moisture protection and builder’s risk placement can make or break project economics. For owners, success is now a planning discipline.

  • 01The schedule benchmark is no longer theoretical: Redstone Arsenal’s CLT hotel cut structural duration by 37%, and that number is showing up in owner discussions about delivery models and labor planning.
  • 02Insurance is becoming a design input for mass timber, moisture exposure and remediation lead times belong in specs and logistics plans before panels ship.
  • 03Mass timber’s most practical upside often lands outside carbon: exposed structure reduces finish scope, but it forces earlier HVAC decisions in open-ceiling spaces.

Sep 6, 2026

Explore More Architecture & Design Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Architecture & Design.

Browse Architecture & Design Hub

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Architecture & Design and beyond.

Book a 15-minute demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512