A fleet of 3D printing robots have started construction of the 100-home Wolf Ranch community in Georgetown, Texas.
The project was designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels Group. Texan 3D-printing company Icon is building it for US homebuilder Lennar. According to Icon, the project is the largest printed residential project yet undertaken.
The properties are created using Icon’s Vulcan system, which is capable of building 3,000 sq ft homes with a proprietary walling system. Eight floorplans are available with three to four bedrooms and two to three baths. The properties blend contemporary aesthetics with traditional Texas ranch-house design.
All the homes will use rooftop solar panels for power and will have access to pools, recreational trails and parks.
Jason Ballard, Icon chief executive, said: “For the first time in history, we’re witnessing a fleet of robots build an entire community of homes. And not just any home, homes that are better in every way… better designed, higher strength, higher energy performance and comfort, and increased resiliency.
“In the future, I believe robots and drones will build entire neighbourhoods, towns and cities. We’ll look back at Lennar’s Wolf Ranch community as the place where robotic construction at scale began.”
Stuart Miller, Lennar executive chairman, added: “Given the housing shortage that persists across the country, it has never been more important to innovate to find new methods of construction that will enable greater design flexibility and greater production at affordable prices.”
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