Although mortgage rates in the US are now at their level the lowest level in 15 monthshouse prices are still high.
While the US faces a shortage of 4.5 million housesConstruction company Icon is using 3D printing technology to mass-print houses — and is finishing the final properties in a 100-home, 3D-printed community in Georgetown, Texas.
Icon uses a 45-foot-wide 3D printer and fills it with a combination of concrete dust, water, sand and other materials. The printer then pipes the mixture, laying it out until it stacks up to form a house.
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According to Reuters reports.
How's it going…how did it start. 95 houses printed and a few more to go at Wolf Ranch. https://t.co/pX4iDWHXSB pic.twitter.com/6C3IeKgFOy
— ICON (@ICON3DTech) May 31, 2024
The homes are single-story, with three to four bedrooms occupying 1,500 to 2,000 square feet.
Each costs between $450,000 and $600,000. In comparison, median home list price in the area it was $499,900.
The exterior and interior walls of each house are made of 3D printed concrete, which Icon says can withstand extreme weather.
Icon says 3D printed homes have several advantages over traditionally manufactured ones. The company claims that the concrete materials make the house soundproof, energy efficient and carbon friendly.
Houses also take less time and money to build—one human crew and one robot can replace five different human crews, says the company.
The icon is sold approx 25 of the houses in the community so far. One resident told Reuters the house “feels like a fortress” capable of withstanding a tornado.
In addition to 3D printed houses, Icon is also testing one AI architecture bot that can create floor plans for a dream home.
'A Brief History of the Future' in @PBS is a unique six-part documentary series about our futures and how we can reimagine them.
Organized by @AriWrun by @Andrew_Morgan ✨ ICON in ep5 pic.twitter.com/o6p8f9wmWx
— ICON (@ICON3DTech) May 10, 2024