Construction will begin early next year on a new development in the Austin area featuring 100 homes built by 3D printers.
The home-building company Lennar announced Tuesday that it will work with Austin-based ICON to use its technology to build the largest neighborhood of 3D-printed homes. Developers are not sharing the exact location of this development yet.
Representatives from the two companies said utilizing large-scale 3D printers to construct the houses will help address a shortage of homes in the area and save on labor and lumber currently impacting the construction industry.
While this project is billed as the largest community for these type of homes, ICON is no stranger to the real estate market in Austin. This summer four houses built with 3D-printing technology, specifically ICON’s proprietary Vulcan construction system, went on the market in east Austin. The company reported that two of the homes already sold.
Using its proprietary Vulcan 3D printer, ICON has so far built more than two dozen homes in the US, and plenty more abroad. One such project includes partnering with non-profit New Story to build a Latin American community of 3D printed houses back in 2019.
The firm has also worked with the US military to demonstrate the military applications of 3D printing, having constructed a 3D printed barracks to house troops during training. ICON has found applications for its construction technology within aerospace, too, having produced the “world’s first” 3D printed lunar launch pad earlier this year, alongside working with NASA to create a simulated martian environment and an off-world construction system leveraging its technology.
With a larger build volume and print speed of 5-10″ per second, ICON’s new machine is twice as fast as its predecessor, and capable of printing structures up to 3,000 square foot in size. The machine’s improved capabilities have allowed the firm to address more ambitious applications over the past few months, including the construction of four multi-storey buildings in East Austin which it has since listed on the US housing market.
ICON hopes that 3D printing will enable the new homes to be built cheaper and faster than conventional construction methods would allow. Currently, ICON can 3D print the first floor of one home in about a week.
“Construction-scale 3D printing not only delivers higher-quality homes faster and more affordably, but fleets of printers can change the way that entire communities are built for the better,” he said. “The US faces a deficit of approximately five million new homes, so there is a profound need to swiftly increase supply without compromising quality, beauty, or sustainability, and that is exactly the strength of our technology.”
ICON hopes that 3D printing will enable the new homes to be built cheaper and faster than conventional construction methods would allow. Currently, ICON can 3D print the first floor of one home in about a week.
“It is an honor and a huge milestone for ICON to partner with Lennar, an elite top-tier homebuilder with a commitment to innovation,” Ballard continued. “We believe this will be a watershed moment in the history of community-scale development and the future breaking into the present.”
Martin Voelkle, a Partner at BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, also believes 3D printing has the potential to “revolutionize the built environment” as the construction sector continues to adopt the technology at scale.
“By partnering with ICON and Lennar, we are able to see this new technology roll out to the widest possible audience,” he added. “The 3D printed architecture and the photovoltaic roofs are innovations that are significant steps towards reducing waste in the construction process, as well as towards making our homes more resilient, sustainable, and energy self-sufficient.”
