
A collaboration between housing non-profit New Story and construction technology firm Icon aims to use 3D printing technology to house the homeless. While it’s early days yet, they hope to produce low-cost 3D-printed homes in El Salvador by late 2019.
New Story and Icon debuted an initial proof-of-concept model, pictured, at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, yesterday. The home is similar in nature to the Apis Cor house and measures just 350 sq ft (32 sq m).
It was created with a mobile 3D-printer developed by Icon named the Vulcan. The Vulcan functions much like other 3D printers used in construction and extrudes mortar out of a nozzle in a pre-programmed pattern, slowly building up layers until a basic house structure is formed. This is then finished by humans who add windows, a roof, and the like.
The proof-of-concept model cost US$10,000 to produce and took 48 hours to make, including the finishing touches.
El Salvador? How about in the USA?