The 3D printing revolution is almost at the point where there can be a printer in any home. But what about using a printer to build the house itself? The Dutch company DUS Architects is working on doing just that. They've developed a 3D printer 10 times the size of ordinary ones. It's called the KamerMaker, which means Room Builder, and they've built it out of a shipping container, with the goal to 3D print an entire house! Using bio-plastics, the on-site printer can create the pieces of a canal home that the firm is currently building as an experiment over the next few years. One aspect of construction they're testing is the ability to reduce waste. The bio-plastic is based on rapeseeds, and if the manufactured piece is slightly out of spec, it can be ground up and reused. Also, because the pieces are all made on site, there's less trial and error, and therefore fewer resources are wasted. Some think the on-site model will increase construction time but that's all part of the experiment. The architectural firm is even thinking of other material possibilities, like a wood-based liquid that hardens into something like MDF, or biodegradable products that could be used for temporary structures, then melted back into the earth after a season. At the Canal House, pieces ranging from around 3 meters tall (which take a week to print) to room components with built-in furniture will be fitted together and filled with insulating concrete, creating not only a new building, but also the opportunity to learn how these revolutionary techniques can be best used on the building sites of tomorrow. A couple of decades ago, the very idea of robo-printing a house, or 3D-printed anything would have been considered science fiction; existing only in a Star Trek universe or similar. In just a few short years, the 3D printing industry has grown by leaps and bounds, and we're currently seeing everything from 3D-printed food to prosthetic limbs, furniture items, and now even full-scale buildings. During his visit to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The 3D Print Canal House was presented to United States' President Barack Obama by the Mayor of Amsterdam Eberhard van der Laan.

Apple just signed a development agreement with the City of Claremont, which will allow it to build its third massive solar farm in North Carolina. When finished, the 405 thousand square meters farm is expected to produce 17.5 megawatts at a development cost of US$ 55 million. The new development will be the company's third solar farm not only in North Carolina, but within Catawba County. The first is a 20 megawatt farm located on the company's campus in Maiden, and in 2013 Apple gained the rights for construction of a second 20 megawatt farm in Conover. The farms are used to power the Maiden iCloud data center, which like all the company's data centers runs on 100 percent renewable energy. The latest approval required the City of Claremont to annex land that was not in the city's corporate limits, but in its extraterritorial jurisdiction. A separate agreement allows for a land swap between Apple and the City, with Apple returning two parcels of land to be used for greenways, public recreation and other public purposes. The project is expected to create 75 jobs during construction, which Apple has pledged to source locally if possible.

Dubai is already home to the biggest shopping mall in the world, but that apparently isn't enough. Dubai has just unveiled plans for the world's largest temperature-controlled pedestrian city, the Mall of the World. To be completed in time for the World Expo 2020, the 4.5 million square meters mega development will include the world's largest shopping mall, the world's largest indoor theme park, and a 280 thousand square meters wellness center catering to medical tourists. It will be located right across the street from the 223 thousand square meters Mall of the Emirates. Dubai Holding will need US$ 6.8 billion to build an entertainment district. While the impending Expo 2020 undoubtedly gives a timeline to the project, in unveiling the plans His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum commented: "We announced recently that we plan to transform Dubai into a cultural, tourist and economic hub for the two billion people living in the region around us; and we are determined to achieve our vision." It is estimated that the Mall of the World will be a draw card for 180 million visitors per year. The project will be completed in stages, "in alignment with the gradual growth of family tourism in Dubai." The project's "highlights" include the world's largest mall at 743 thousand square meters, connected to 100 hotels and serviced apartment buildings totaling 20,000 hotel rooms. The shopping mall will be a temperature-controlled, covered retail street network spreading over 7 kilometers and modeled on Rodeo Drive and London's Oxford Street. It will also include The Celebration Walk, which is based on La Rambla in Barcelona. The development also includes the largest indoor family theme park in the world, which will be covered by a glass dome that can be opened in the milder winter months. There will also be a cultural district based on Broadway, with a 15,000-person capacity "celebration center," to be Dubai's largest.

As reported the M24.ru, the new blacktop Nano road "Rosnano" with nanoparticles, rumble strips and glowing markings will be opened in October 2015 in North village, in the north-east of Moscow. Innovative road 655 meters in length and 15-18.5 meters in width will start from Dolgoprudnenskoe highway. The project budget is estimated US$ 5.6 million. During the blacktop construction will be used "Nano dispersed and polymeric components" to extend the roadway life. Stabilizing supplements should increase validity of asphalt in three times and prevent formation of cracks during frosts. Traffic lane markings made of polymeric tapes will be more resistant to automobile tires. In addition, the new road will test LED layout. On the "zebra crossings" may be installed laser 3D-holograms. During construction of "Rusnano" also suggested the use of shredded car tires.

A 500 meter loop will be built on the campus of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) followed by a commercial network, according to skyTran, the company that will build it. Two-person vehicles will be suspended from elevated magnetic tracks, as an alternative transport method to congested roads, the firm promised. The system should be up and running by the end of 2015. The firm hopes the test track will prove that the technology works and lead to a commercial version of the network. The plan is to allow passengers to order a vehicle on their smartphone to meet them at a specific station and then head directly to their destination. The vehicles will achieve speeds of up to 70km/h although the commercial rollout is expected to offer much faster vehicles. A number of skyTran projects are planned globally, including in India and the US, but will depend upon the success of the Israeli pilot. SkyTran, based at the Nasa research park in California, hopes to revolutionize public transport. Chief executive Jerry Sanders described the agreement to build a test track with IAI as a "breakthrough" for the project. Joe Dignan, an independent smart city expert, said the system represented "a hybrid between existing infrastructure and autonomous vehicles". "It will get the market in the mood for autonomous vehicles - it is not too scary, is cheaper than building out a train line and uses part of the urban landscape, 20 feet above ground, that isn't currently used."