In 2022, the first 3D printed house in Texas was printed in Austin, Texas. It was only a few years before the next one Giant step forward for humanity. Nowadays 3D printing is everywhere, from prosthetics to organs to weapons to new houses and now entire neighborhoods.
Today’s 3D printed houses cannot be considered “inexpensive housing,” at least in this neighborhood. Prices for these homes range from $450,000 to $600,000. However, this is a huge step forward in the future of low-cost mass housing.
The largest robot-built neighborhood in the world
Georgetown, Texas is home to Wolf Ranch, a neighborhood of around 100 homes that has been “printed” since November 22.
Here's how the process works, according to developers: “The one-story 3D printed houses take about three weeks to print. Only the walls are printed – the foundation and metal roof are installed traditionally.”
- The ICON Vulcan printers are 45 feet wide and weigh 4.75 tons.
- Concrete powder, water, sand and other additives are mixed and pumped into the printer.
- A nozzle then applies the concrete mix layer by layer along a pre-programmed path.
You must watch the video below; These homes are beautifully crafted from a concrete-like material This looks like it's being poured from a delicious soft serve ice cream robot from Dairy Queen.
The walls of these homes are designed to withstand water, mold, termites, and the extreme weather of Texas. And according to ICON, 3D printing houses is faster, more cost-effective and minimizes waste of building materials. Doesn't sound so bad.
The house was unveiled at SXSW in Austin in 1922 If Would you like to find out more about it? You can get more information about 3D houses right here. And who knows, one day all the new districts could be “printed”.