Contour Crafting

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Contour Crafting is a construction process under development by Behrokh Khoshnevis of the University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute (in the Viterbi School of Engineering) that uses a computer-controlled crane or gantry to build edifices rapidly and efficiently without manual labor. It was originally conceived as a method to construct molds for industrial parts. Khoshnevis decided to adapt the technology for rapid home construction as a way to rebuild after natural disasters, like the devastating earthquakes that have plagued his native Iran.

Using a quick-setting, concrete-like material, Contour Crafting forms the house's walls layer by layer until topped off by floors and ceilings set in place by the crane. The system calls for the insertion of structural components, like plumbing, wiring, utilities, and even consumer devices like audiovisual systems as the layers are built.

Khoshnevis claims that his system could build a complete home in a single day, and its electrically powered crane would produce very little construction material waste. The Science Channel's Discoveries This Week program reports that, given 3-7 tons of material waste and the exhaust fumes from construction vehicles during standard home construction, Contour Crafting could significantly reduce environmental impact.

Khoshnevis also states that NASA is evaluating Contour Crafting for its possible use in the construction of a lunar habitat.