There are countless people across the globe without adequate housing and despite all of the efforts being made by governments and non-profits, there’s still a long way to go before housing can be secured for those in dire need of it. ICON, a startup based in Austin, demonstrated a low-cost 3D-printed home that’s being presented as a potential solution to this global problem.
The startup has developed a method for printing this single-story 650 square foot house using cement in under 24 hours. That’s far less than it takes to actually construct a house from scratch. It was teamed up with international housing solutions nonprofit New Story for this project.
It showcased a prototype of this home at SXSW in Austin last week. The production version of the printer will be able to print this single-story 650 square foot house in under 24 hours for less than $4,000. The model house that was put up at SXSW had a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and even a curved porch. ICON says that it has developed “cutting-edge materials” for this purpose that have been tested to ensure the most recognized standards of safety and resiliency.
It’s eventually going to move the printer to El Salvador where it’s going to create a community of around 100 homes printed using these materials. ICON also has plans to use this technology to build homes in the United States as well.
Filed in . Read more about 3D Printing. Source: iconbuild