As you may have heard, we are in the midst of a housing crisis, not just in the United States but in many parts of the world. This has been going on since before the pandemic, but Covid-19 and its lockdowns, source chain disruptions and a shortage of hard work have compounded the problem.
Companies that specialize in complex structure techniques aim to make a difference by generating homes at a lower cost than classic industry standards. These come with 3D published houses, “foldable” houses, and houses delivered in kits and then assembled as Ikea furniture.
Now a new player joins the roster and has just earned a major monetary boost. Vantem Global has already helped build a total of more than 3 million square feet of living space in six other countries, and earlier this month closed a circular Series A investment co-led through Breakthrough Energy Ventures (Breakthrough funded through Bill Gates in 2015 to invest in sustainable energy and emission relief technologies).
Vantem’s energy-efficient prefabricated houses are made of structural panels. The panels were designed to upgrade brick and cement, which are expensive, difficult to manufacture and generate large emissions. material. Since panels look more like cement than wood or plastic, consumers accustomed to cement are more likely to perceive them more easily (as many in Latin America, where Vantem has concentrated so much of its construction).
Panels are not only used for external walls, they are also used for interior walls and ceilings. The production of the panels is highly automated and they are sent to the sites of pre-cut structure and in a position for installation. They are highly modular and can be used for multi-storey buildings, advertising spaces or single-family homes. In fact, in one position they have been used for a hotel in Uruguay, high-end accommodation and budget accommodation, among others. projects.
Vantem says the panels can be used safely in upper seismic zones and spaces with hurricane-force winds, and that the insulation they provide is up to five times greater than classic building materials; this for greater power as there are fewer heating and cooling leaks. They are also resistant to fire, water and insects.
Vantem’s formula has been used in constructions in Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and the Caribbean. The company plans to use its Series A budget to expand its consistent operations in the U. S. In the U. S. , it added the construction of 15 plants to produce its panels. The facility is planned for Arizona, California, Texas and North and South Dakota in 2023, with more sites to be decided and built by the end of the decade. Each Vantem plant could produce fabrics for more than one million square feet of housing consistent with the year.
“Construction in this sector has noticed the lowest innovation and productivity gains and is one of the largest direct and indirect resources of carbon emissions,” Vantem CEO Chris Anderson said in a press release. “At the same time, housing is a global desire that you want to address, but if we build with classical methods, we will only solve one challenge and make others worse. At Vantem, we are committed to addressing any of those demanding situations on a global scale. One task vantem has underway is to build 3,000 housing complexes in Uruguay.
Vantem is not the first company to try to give a new twist to the style of prefabricated and modular houses. Las Vegas-based Boxabl ships “foldable” prefabricated homes on a 20-foot-wide load and, once delivered, homes can go live in as little as a day. Similarly, Seattle-based Green Canopy NODE homes come in flat kits that have compatibility in shipping containers, and their meeting requires no specialists.
A 2019 McKinsey report on modular structure indicates that generation is making a comeback, thanks in large part to technological improvements; The virtual team facilitated the design of the modules and made it imaginable to optimize delivery logistics. In addition, consumers’ belief in prefabricated homes is improving as their designs take on a sublime and modern character. Most importantly, the virtually assisted modular structure can make the house build up to 50% faster, at a rate similar to or less than classic construction rates.
According to Anderson, Vantem’s strategy makes the structure procedure 50% faster than classic structure strategies and around 20% cheaper. owners or promoters).
While there are still Vantem homes in the U. S. In the U. S. , there may soon be many, with the structure of their first domestic factories scheduled to begin next year. It wouldn’t be unexpected if Vantem temporarily has other people queuing up to deposit a down payment.
Image credit: Vantem Global