The researchers believe that robots could very well be the answer that the industry needs. And now, they have their proof of concept in the DFAB House, described as "the first habitable building designed and planned using a choreography of digital fabrication methods."

The DFAB House is 3 levels and features 3D printed ceilings, energy efficient walls, timber beams assembled by robots and an intelligent home system. The house is near Zurich and was developed by a team of experts at ETH Zurich University with help from thirty industry partners. It took four years to develop and build the house, which measures 2,370 square feet and required 60% less cement than a traditional building. The DFAB House also passed stringent Swiss building codes. 

Matthias Kohler, a member of DFAB's research team said: "This is a new way of seeing architecture. Suddenly how we use resources to build our habitats is at the center of architecture. How you build matters."

Kohler continued: "Of course we're interested in gaining breakthroughs in speed and economy, but we tried to hold to the idea of quality first. You can do things very, very fast but that doesn't mean that it's actually sustainable."