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Construction is underway for BIG, ICON and Lennar's 3D-printed homes in Texas
United States Architecture News - Nov 24, 2022 - 14:02 4722 views
Construction is underway for a large-scale 3D-printed homes in Austin, Texas, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and Austin-based technology company ICON with homebuilding company Lennar.
ICON and BIG have shared new images from the construction of the project, which is being built as a 100-home community situated north of Austin in the city of Georgetown.
ICON announced that construction is underway and reservations for 3D-printed homes will begin in 2023 and the prices of the homes are expected to start from the mid-$400,000s. The project was first announced in November 2021.
Designed for Georgetown’s master-planned community, named Wolf Ranch by Hillwood Communities, a Perot company, the 100-home community is being built by using innovative robotics, software and advanced materials to create "the world's largest community of 3D-printed homes".
Image courtesy of ICON
The homes are based on technologically advanced, environmentally sustainable and architecturally striking principles. The new neighborhood are being built by using ICON’s Vulcan construction system - which uses ICON's proprietary Lavacrete blends - can be specific to climate and location.
"We are very pleased to partner with ICON and BIG in building a first-of-its-kind, printed home community that combines innovative designs with sustainable features at an affordable price,” said Stuart Miller, Executive Chairman of Lennar.
"Given the housing shortage that persists across the country, it has never been more important to innovate in order to find new methods of construction that will enable greater design flexibility and greater production at affordable prices," Miller added.
Image courtesy of ICON
"The homes reference to contemporary Texas ranch style aesthetics"
The design of the homes blends contemporary Texas ranch style aesthetics, and thanks to the homes' elevated architectural and energy-efficient features, the homes highlight the benefits of resiliency and sustainability with the digital possibilities of additive construction.
ICON’s Vulcan construction system, software and advances materials enable the homes to be delivered at some certain speed and at scale. Each home is designed with a full wall system - including interior and exterior walls - is produced with less waste and with more design freedom.
Image courtesy of ICON
"For the first time in the history of the world, what we’re witnessing here is a fleet of robots building an entire community of homes. And not just any homes, homes that are better in every way… better design, higher strength, higher energy performance and comfort, and increased resiliency," said Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO, ICON.
"In the future, I believe robots and drones will build entire neighborhoods, towns, and cities, and we’ll look back at Lennar’s Wolf Ranch community as the place where robotic construction at scale began."
"We still have a long way to go, but I believe this marks a very exciting and hopeful turn in the way we address housing issues in the world, Ballard added.
The homes will have eight different floor plans with 24 unique elevations - ranging from 1,574 to 2,112 square feet (146 to 196 square meters) of thoughtful living space. The homes will offer three to four bedrooms and two to three baths.
Image courtesy of ICON
ICON explained that the rooftop of the homes will be equipped with solar panels to power the structures, as well as featuring components from Lennar’s Connected Home package including "a Ring Video Doorbell Pro, a Schlage Encode™ Smart WiFi deadbolt and a Honeywell Home T6 Pro WiFi smart thermostat."
Plus, each home will be equipped with the Wolf Ranch security package.
Image courtesy of ICON
"We are excited to welcome Lennar and ICON's cutting-edge home construction technology to Georgetown," said Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder.
"The Georgetown community prides itself on honoring our past and innovating for our future, and we are eager to see the future being built right here," Schroeder added.
Image courtesy of ICON
The project represents a long-term collaboration between BIG and ICON. ICON and Bjarke Ingels Group are also working for a 3D-printed multi-home project in Texas and a new 3D-printed research habitat which will be home to NASA’s crew for future missions on Mars.
In 2019, ICON launched the world's first 3D-printed community houses in Mexico.
Top image: a view from the construction site of the 100-home community. Image courtesy of ICON/Facebook.