A planned housing complex in Georgetown, Texas, made using a giant 3D printer, is nearly two years from completion.
Reuters The homes, part of a community called Wolf Ranch, are reportedly being built using a massive 3D printer called the Vulcan, which is 45 feet wide and weighs over 4.75 tons. The project is part of a joint venture between 3D-printed construction developer ICON and homebuilder Lennar. It began in November 2022, and the crews are nearly on track to build 100 homes with the Vulcan by the end of the summer. Homeowners have already started moving into some of the completed 3D-printed homes, which range in price from $450,000 to $600,000. More than a quarter of the homes have been sold.
ICON’s 3D printer mixes concrete powder, water, sand and other materials to lay tube-shaped concrete to build walls and eventually entire homes. The homes are single-story homes with three to four bedrooms and take about three weeks to print. The foundations and metal roofs are built the old-fashioned way by human crews.
The printed walls look like giant stretches of corduroy, but they are designed to be resilient and sustainable in extreme weather. They are also waterproof and energy efficient. The home’s contemporary ranch-style design was provided by architectural firm BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group. ICON Press Release. The construction process was also streamlined during the project, said Conner Jenkins, ICON Senior Project Manager. Reuters Construction began with a crew of five builders, but has since been reduced to one man and one robotic printer.
The only downside is that the thickness of the walls interferes with the WiFi signal, so residents had to use a mesh internet router that broadcasts signals throughout the house instead of a single router.
ICON isn’t just using large-scale 3D printers to build homes on Earth. NASA is reportedly interested in using the technology to build structures on the moon for its Artemis Moon Exploration Program, which is scheduled to launch its first crew in September 2025.
