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Another ICON project in Austin aims to provide affordable 400-square-foot houses for people experiencing homelessness . At full capacity , the village will have an estimated 480 people living there . Tim Shea watches as his home is constructed in the Community First ! Village .
“ It ’ s one of the last of the major industries to have an inflection moment , a time when it is forever changed .”
— Rob Krohn , vice president of marketing , Epcon Communities industries to have an inflection moment , a time when it is forever changed ,” Krohn says .
In addition , homes need to be inspected before they can be occupied and , to pass inspection , they need to meet building codes . The problem : There is no standardized code for such homes . For example , says Lionel Scharly , strategic architectural design advisor at Real Estate Bees , an online platform for real estate industry experts , “ the ICC ( International Code Council ) building code does not contain guidance on 3D printing , and [ it ] supersedes city building codes . As ‘ other ’ types of construction , it will be subject to city approval .” Construction companies will have to conform to different protocols in different locations .
Wrinkles in the 3D printing technology also have to be ironed out . The printhead needs the right material to work with and one that will dry at a rate that will accommodate another layer in a short span of time . “ The material is every bit a part of the [ 3D printing ] equation as the machinery ,” Zelinski says . “ Part of the development of this idea is the pursuit and the formulation of new mixes of concrete that lend themselves to 3D printing .”
PHOTOS ( TOP ) COURTESY OF ICON ; ( RIGHT ) COURTESY OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY