The future of homes could very well be 3D-printed abodes that could be built in less than a day for much lower costs than traditional housing. One of the companies in the forefront is ICON, which believes the future of homebuilding is using 3D printing. At SXSW, ICON unveiled a protoype of the first permitted, 3D-printed home in Austin, Texas.
The Austin-based startup wants to provide housing that is affordable, “specifically for the developing world.” The company wants to make housing that is customizable as well as sustainable. The Vulcan mobile printer can be brought to a development and create a new community in extremely little time. Manufacturing the homes produces nearly zero waste and doesn’t need too many resources or a huge labor force. The project expects to tackle worldwide housing shortages.
ICON can print a single story home that is 600-800-square-feet and be built between 12-24 hours. Currently, the costs are $10,000, but ICON expects to build these houses for less than $4,000. ICON hopes to create 100 3D-printed homes for low-income people in El Salvador by next year. The 3D-printed house could be the future of affordable housing.
[TheVerge]