3D-printed houses are selling on Earth; next stop, the moon?
“People are buying” — and living in — these futuristic homes, with dozens sold at a community in Texas, and more widespread adoption expected in five years
Key points:
- Austin-based ICON has gone from building prototypes to working with Lennar to launch a 3D-printed housing development.
- The most common 3D-printing method uses a concrete-like material, but houses also have been made with wood byproducts.
- ICON is working with NASA to print structures on the moon and Mars, with the first test on the moon set for the end of the decade.
Editor's note: The United States needs more housing. It's not a new problem, but new solutions are emerging — and some old ones are getting another look. How are they shaping the future of housing? What is showing the most promise?
This series explores a few different approaches and where they might lead.
It's no wonder that 3D-printed houses seem more like science fiction than real estate fact.
ICON, one of the best-known companies in the space (pun intended), is working with NASA on housing and infrastructure for the moon and Mars, as well as here on Earth. And the rounded, dome-like test structures produced in Austin, Texas, resemble places Luke Skywalker used to call home.
But ICON is also working with Lennar to produce single-family homes at Wolf Ranch, a housing development about 30 miles north of Austin, where the tech company is based.
The company's chief operating officer, Graeme Waitzkin, told Real Estate News this summer that he thinks "people will start to see 3D-printed communities popping up in their town in the next five years."
Wolf Ranch isn't ICON's only residential project, but it's the furthest along. The last of the 100 homes at Wolf Ranch are now being built — or rather, printed — in what the company describes as the world's largest 3D-printed community.
How 3D printing a home works
At the heart of ICON's operation is a massive 3D printer, also described by the company as the world's largest. The 5-ton behemoth squeezes out a proprietary mix that includes concrete powder, water and other additives, layer by layer, on a carefully programmed path.
The result is walls that have a stony, corduroy-like texture, which is futuristic and unusual. The material isn't smooth to the touch, but smooth to experience — all rounded corners and wavy walls. It can be covered by wood or drywall for those who prefer something more familiar.
"House Zero," a prototype but fully livable house unveiled by ICON in 2022, sits in an Austin neighborhood and fits in as well as any unique, custom-designed, award-winning home might.
ICON has gotten the most attention, but there are others doing residential 3D printing. Citizen Robotics, a Detroit nonprofit, produced a 3D home last year with the help of a robot that used to build cars. Alquist 3D has had mixed results that show how tricky environmental factors (temperature, humidity and the like) can be.
The University of Maine, meanwhile, printed an experimental house called "BioHome 3D" using byproducts from the lumber industry.
"We have over a million tons per year of waste wood residues that are accessible to us [and] that can create a lot of homes," Habib Dagher, the executive director of the University of Maine's Advanced Structures & Composites Center, told Architectural Digest.
3D-printed homes vs. traditional builds
So do people want 3D-printed homes? "People are buying them," Waitzkin said.
As of mid-October, nearly 30 of the homes in the Wolf Ranch development have been sold, with another 15 or so for sale and dozens more going on sale "soon." The homes are priced from $395,000 to $595,000, and there are eight floor plans available, ranging from 1,574 square feet to 2,112 square feet, with three or four bedrooms.
"There is demand for these homes," Waitzkin said. "We can deliver a beautiful and high-performing home, and it has less maintenance and incredible features" — like modern designs that emphasize natural light and connection to the outdoors.
But what about bureaucracy? Are there special rules, laws, limitations? Waitzkin says it hasn't been an issue. Regulators, insurers, appraisers and other folks in the industry "understand quite well that a lot of the construction details are very similar to concrete block."
The company says 3D printing isn't just faster than the "sticks and bricks" approach to homebuilding. It also requires fewer workers and creates less waste.
Which brings up the question of affordability. Yes, 3D-printed homes can be cheaper than traditionally built homes. ICON has produced several for Community First! Village, which provides housing to people coming out of homelessness. It has also challenged architects around the world to come up with plans for "resilient, dignified and environmentally friendly" 3D-printed homes that cost $99,000 or less.
Sky's the limit (or is it space?)
ICON is building homes on Earth, where it can be challenging to get its giant printers from one locale to another. What about the Moon? And Mars?
The moon is the bigger challenge, ICON CEO Jason Ballard told 60 Minutes. Instead of the materials they use on Earth, they need to use lunar regolith — a fancy word for rocks crushed finer than sand. And then there are the vacuum conditions and brutal swings in temperature.
"If we can do it on the moon, we can do it on Mars," Ballard said.
NASA officials are optimistic. Meanwhile, ICON is learning from its big swings and finding ways to reduce the carbon footprint of its materials — and looking to the end of the decade when an ICON printer is set to fly to the moon to test print part of a landing pad.
"If we want to stay, we have to live off the land," Ballard said.