Last year architect Adam Kushner announced plans to build the newest 3D-printed estate in Gardiner, New York. Recently, the architect and CEO of D-Shape, James Wolff, presented new renderings of Kushner's project at 3D Print Week NY that show an even more over-the-top plan than we even imagined. According to the project details, the entire structure will be built using a modified version of Enrico Dini's oversized D-Shape printer. And we're not just talking one basic house here. No, Kushner is determined to build a massive swimming pool, pool house and car port to go along with the four-bedroom, 223 square meters home, and eventually creating one enormous 3D-printed estate. Although still in the planning stages, the residence is slated to be built about 137 kilometers from New York City on a 20 thousand square meters parcel of land that Kushner and his wife purchased three years ago. Kushner explained that it was the plot's naturally rocky landscape that inspired the ambitious 3D design. "The materials on the site will be used to form the pieces of the site, which reflect the very characteristics of the site, which stems from the materials found on the site," explained Kushner. "I think it's a perfect circle." The 3D design scheme stems from the geomorphology of the rocks found in the area, inspiring Kushner to print the entire estate using the rocks for aggregates in the building process. According to 3D Print, using Enrico Dini's D-Shape printers, which differ from the common fused deposition-based models, will allow Kushner to print the necessary materials using on-site resources such as sand, which will be combined with a magnesium-based binding agent. Kushner is still waiting for the delivery of the large-scale 3D printer from Italy. However, if all goes well with US customs and NATO approval, the machine should be on-site in May and the team hopes to begin the first trials and test prints using the new machine by June. Once all of the kinks have been worked out, the team expects to begin 3D printing the pool, followed by the pool house and car port. The last piece of the 3D puzzle will be the most challenging - printing and building the 223 square meters house itself. As far as why this project is so important to Kushner, he explains that by starting on such an ambitiously-sized estate, the 3D home building process can later be used for far more important and diverse tasks, such as producing affordable housing or emergency shelters. "If we can build a pool, then we can begin building reefs, and repair bridges, bulkheads and other underwater structures which there is a huge worldwide need," said Kushner. "The thought is that if we can build a pool house and modest enclosed structure, then it is a short step to building emergency shelters and low cost housing units." Recently a Chinese company WinSun has successfully 3D printed a five-story apartment building and a 110 square meters villa from special print material. China's newest mansion is not only made from recycled materials, but the sprawling 110 square meters home was made with 3D printing. The luxury mansion was 3D printed in layers, using recycled stone and construction waste. Last year the Dutch company DUS Architects developed 3D-printed house using bioplastic.

New York's first "micro apartment" building "My Micro NY" is constructed in Brooklyn Navy Yard (New York, USA). According to New York Times, the end of construction is planned for this spring and the building will begin leasing studios in summer. The project was designed by "nArchitects". The firm won a closely watched design competition in 2013 that was sponsored by the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development and enthusiastically endorsed by former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. The city's first "micro" building will have 55 rental apartments, all ranging from 23-34 square meters with kitchenettes, wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, ceilings over 2.7 meters high and big windows. And to help make living in a small space more palatable, tenants will have access to storage units and common spaces scattered throughout the building. The building will begin leasing studios this summer for around US$ 2 - 3 thousand a month. The project is being watched with interest by both housing advocates and developers, and not just because of its modular construction. Housing advocates say the creation of more micro-apartments could open up many more reasonably priced living options. More units dedicated to singles could eventually bring down rent prices across the city, as more two- to four-bedroom apartments would then open up to families. The contest was developed to address the growing need in New York City for affordable studios, one person- and two person-households. It was originally a part of Mayor Bloomberg's New Housing Marketplace Plan, a multi-billion dollar initiative to finance 165 thousand units of affordable housing for an expected 500 thousand New Yorkers. Under current zoning laws enacted in 1987, all NYC apartments must be at least 37 square meters, but then-mayor Michael Bloomberg said in 2013 that the new micro-units would be an exception.

The bidding war for the dirtiest hotel in America is about to come to an end with the winning bid expected to be around US$180 million. "It's the dirtiest, and best located hotel in New York City," Lawrence Wolfe, who has been handling the sale for the seller, told. "It was under-managed and neglected." The 600-room Hotel Carter, just off New York's Times Square on West 43rd Street, was a three-time "winner" of Tripadvisor's dirtiest hotel in America survey. Recent guests said the problems are far from fixed. "The location's great, but there's no hot water in the shower, " one guest exiting the hotel told CNBC. Her room rate? Just over US$ 200 for the night, she said. First opened in the 1930s as the Hotel Dixie, the Carter recently has been tied up as the estate of the former owner is settled. In recent years it has been in the news for code violations as well as a homicide. The sale, expected in the US$ 180 million range, will be followed by a full-gut renovation that will cost US$ 100 million to US$ 125 million, Wolfe said. It hasn't yet been determined if the hotel will close during renovations or if it will undergo construction in phases. When it reopens, it will remain an independent hotel, he said.