AUSTIN, TEXAS – Tim Shea is counting the days until he can move into a new 3-D-printed house. Shea, 69, will be the first to live in one of six such rentals created by what some in the housing industry call a futuristic approach that could revolutionize home construction.
Shea is among a growing number of seniors in America who have struggled to keep affordable housing. He has, at times, been homeless. He has arthritis and manages to get around with a walker. He said he looks forward to giving up the steep ramp he's had to negotiate at the RV he's called home.
"I'm over the top about it," said Shea. "They had an interview process where a bunch of people applied. Then I found out it was a 3-D-printed home, and I was gung-ho."
The promise of 3-D printing has others excited, too.
In an East Austin neighborhood, these houses are taking their distinctive shape on the grounds of the Community First Village, where about 180 formerly homeless people have found shelter and camaraderie in the most expensive city in the state. The 51-acre development (which will eventually include more than 500 homes) provides affordable permanent housing, including the 3-D variety.
Austin-based construction technology company Icon has formed a variety of partnerships to explore how 3-D-printed houses could not only provide housing for people on the margins but also demonstrate how to dramatically reduce the time and money spent on construction.
"I see this innovative idea as being a powerful piece of the puzzle, along with other ideas of what it's going to take to have more affordably built houses," said Alan Graham, a real estate developer turned founder of the nonprofit Mobile Loaves & Fishes, which opened the village in 2016. The average age of residents here is 55, he said.
These 400-square-foot houses are the nation's first 3-D-printed residences, according to Icon. Its process — which incorporates an 11-foot-tall printer that weighs 3,800 pounds — relies on robotics. Beads of a pliable concrete material dubbed Lavacrete ooze from the behemoth printer in ripples that stack and harden into a wall with curved corners.