Building Houses With Robots
Tim Volkman On Australia's 3D Printed Homes Revolution
Emeka Conversations: Season 2, Episode 5
1hr 31mins | Premiered May 31, 2026
Australia is in a housing crisis. Tim Volkman wants to build us out of it with robots.
Tim Volkman is the co-founder of 3D Construction QLD, the Brisbane-based licensed builder behind Australia's first multi-storey 3D printed home. In this Emeka Conversations episode, Tim sits down with Emeka Edwin to unpack why a cheap iPhone has more technology in it than the rockets that put a man on the moon, while bricklayers in 2026 are still doing the same job the exact same way they did in 1996.
We get into the productivity collapse in Australian construction, why safety and red tape have become a weapon against the people actually doing the work, how concrete 3D printing prints a finished wall in one pass, and why a four bedroom Aussie home that takes months today could realistically be printed in a week. Tim explains how he is targeting a 30 percent reduction in construction costs, why the banks refuse to finance 3D printed homes, and how this technology could finally make housing affordable for the next generation of Australians.
If you are searching for the Australian housing crisis explained, 3D printed homes Australia, the future of construction in Queensland, or why your kids cannot afford a house, this is the conversation.
