Texas’s innovative approach to housing has been a game-changer. Texas, a US state, has revealed the largest 3D-printed community in the world.
Recent showcases of this first finished house, featuring walls “printed” in concrete, were shown. The first of 100 homes will be built in a massive plan. Residents are expected to move into these houses starting this September.
According to a CNN article, the community is located in a development called Wolf Ranch.
The project is the result of a collaboration between Texas-based ICON and Lennar homebuilding companies, as well as Danish architectural practice Bjarke Ingels Group.
Recently revealed, the model house boasts bright interiors as well as curved gray walls that are made out of a material based on concrete called Lavacrete. The walls are created using 46-foot-wide robotic printers, and once those are complete, the doors, windows, and roofs — all equipped with solar panels — are installed.
As per ICON, over a third of the homes’ walls have been printed. These 3D-printed houses range from 1,500 square feet to 2,100, have three or four bedrooms, and cost between $475,000.
The project began in 2021. Jason Ballard co-founder and CEO of ICON described it as “a watershed moment in history of community scale development” at the time.
3D-printing allows the construction of quality homes faster and at an affordable price compared with conventional methods.
The innovative use of 3D printing in housing has the potential to address pressing environmental concerns and also the deficit the United States faces in terms of housing.
CNN reported that independent research has proven 3D-printed houses can help reduce construction waste and carbon dioxide emissions. The overall concrete consumption is reduced by eliminating formwork – a concrete mould that requires large amounts of materials.
The cement industry is responsible for approximately 8 percent of the annual CO2 emission in the world. A 2020 study found that 3D-printed houses are much cheaper.
Critics point out, however, that 3D printed homes are still dependent on concrete which is carbon intensive. They also say that building codes addressing the safety and stability of these structures have not yet been widely adopted.