AUSTIN (KXAN) — 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.
Buying one of these houses in east Austin, which had four bedrooms and several bathrooms, would cost someone about $800,000. It’s not yet known how much the houses will sell for in the new community announced Tuesday.
ICON also partnered with the Texas Military Department to build the largest 3D-printed barracks in the country at Camp Swift near Bastrop. The 3,800-square foot building unveiled in August can house up to 72 soldiers, who will use the barracks while training for missions in Texas or overseas. Officials said the construction is part of continued efforts to create “sustainable and resilient housing that is longer-lasting than traditional buildings.”
A team of undergraduate students from 10 colleges and universities across the U.S. also teamed up this year with NASA and ICON to design and construct a reusable landing pad that could be 3D printed from materials found on the moon.