Texas has built the world's largest block of 3D-printed houses

The world's largest community of 3D-printed homes is being built in Texas. Recently we presented one of them - the first completed house. What does everything look like there, the publication told CNN.

Photo: IStock

With walls 'printed' using a concrete-based material, the one-story structure is the first of 100 such homes to take in residents from September.

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The community is part of a wider development in Georgetown, Texas called Wolf Ranch. It is located about 30 miles (48 km) north of Austin, the state capital, and is the result of a collaboration between Texas-based construction firm ICON, homebuilder Lennar and Danish architecture studio Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).

On July 29, potential buyers toured the finished model home at the grand opening of the project, and some of the apartments have already sold, ICON spokeswoman Kara Caulkins said.

Images provided by the company of the newly built building show brightly lit interiors and curved gray walls. They are made from a concrete mix called Lavacrete, which is applied in place using robotic printers 46 feet (14 m) wide. When the walls are printed, the doors, windows and roof are installed - all equipped with solar panels.

ICON says more than a third of the house walls have already been printed, and properties currently on offer are selling for between $475 and $000.

The 3D-printed houses range from 1500 to 2100 square feet (140-195 square meters) and have three to four bedrooms.

Faster, cleaner and more affordable

When ICON announced the project in 2021, its co-founder and CEO Jason Ballard called the area built with the latest technology "a watershed in human history." 3D printing makes it possible to create high-quality homes faster and cheaper than traditional construction methods, he says.

With the United States facing a shortfall of about five million new homes, Ballard said there is "an urgent need to rapidly increase supply without sacrificing quality, beauty or sustainability, and that is where the strength of this technology lies."

Meanwhile, Martin Voelkle, a partner at Bjarke Ingels Group, said the 3D printed buildings were "a significant step towards reducing waste in the construction process and making our homes more sustainable and energy independent."

Independent research shows that home printing reduces carbon emissions and construction waste. 3D printers are able to build buildings without formwork (concrete molds that are usually filled with cement), which greatly reduces the overall use of material. Cement accounts for about 8% of global CO2 emissions annually.

A 2020 Singapore study found that a 3D printed bathroom was 25,4% cheaper and produced almost 86% less carbon dioxide than those made using traditional construction methods.

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However, critics point out that 3D-printed houses are still based on carbon-intensive concrete, and building codes regarding structural safety and sustainability are not yet widely adopted.

Wolf Ranch is ICON's largest project to date, although the firm has already used 3D printing to build social or subsidized housing in Mexico and Texas.

Ballard said in 2019 that his company's technology could also be used to combat homelessness or provide shelter after natural disasters.

“3D printing is not science fiction,” he concluded. “We have crossed the threshold from science fiction to reality. In the future, we are betting that this will be humanity's best hope for a housing solution that lives up to our highest values ​​and ideals.”

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