Here at 3D Rapid Print, one of the fastest growing 3D Printing companies in the Thames Valley, we like to keep abreast of the latest innovations in 3D printing.
In March 2021, ICON of Austin, Texas unveiled 4 partly 3D printed 2-to-4-bedroom houses, proclaiming them as “America’s first 3D printed homes for sale.” (ICON describes itself as an “advanced construction technologies company dedicated to revolutionizing homebuilding.”) Named the East 17th Street Residences, they are unsurprisingly also located in Austin, Texas and were built in collaboration with 3strands of Kansas City, Missouri. (3strands describes itself as a “real estate developer advancing creative ways to build better homes for everyone’s benefit.”)
Each house’s first storey was 3D printed with ICON’s proprietary cement-based material Lavacrete, which ICON claimed is designed to be resistant to extreme weather and mould. Each house’s second storey was built via conventional means. In addition, the smallest house has 952 square feet of living space and the largest 1,928. With prices starting at $450,000, ICON expects the houses to be ready for buyers to move into somewhen in summer 2021.
However, ICON would not be the first company to claim to have built America’s first 3D printed house for sale. In late January 2021, SQ4D of Patchogue, New York unveiled what it described on online real estate marketplace Zillow as “the world’s first 3D printed home for sale,” with an asking price of $299,999. (SQ4D is a self-proclaimed “construction technology company excelling in 3D printing cementitious, livable structures.”) At the time, SQ4D proclaimed that the house featured more than 1,400 square feet of living space, a 750 square foot garage, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
Nonetheless, science and technology news website Gizmodo called the Zillow listing’s claim “somewhat spurious,” citing a post on technology news website CNET from late September 2020. This spoke of fellow construction technologies company Mighty Buildings of Oakland, California selling 350-square-foot 3D printed housing units, unsurprisingly in California. Furthermore, a story from circa the same time from the newspaper The Sacramento Bee spoke of Mighty Buildings having delivered a similar style housing unit in San Ramon, as well as a larger 3D printed unit in San Diego. (Both San Diego and San Ramon are unsurprisingly also in California.)
3D printing is an amazing tool. It can grow your small business or start a mini revolution in an industry. Explore what it can do for you when you contact us today.
Disclaimer: Featured image of “Photograph showing a house under construction and worker standing at site, probably in Alabama LCCN2015652117” is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 70 years or fewer. It is also in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1926.
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