Texas-based construction companyICON在国内住房市场上列出了其首个美国的3D印刷房屋，价格起价约为45万美元。
Working with developer3Strands, ICON has used its Vulcan 3D printers to construct four multi-storey buildings in East Austin, featuring north-facing windows, open floor plans and bespoke interiors. The additive manufactured abodes, which now form part of an innovative new neighborhood called东17街, mark ICON’s 24th construction project, and its first to enter the mainstream market.
“We want to change the way we build, own and how we live in community together,” said Gary O’Dell, Co-founder and CEO of 3Strands. “This project represents a big step forward, pushing the boundaries of new technologies and 3D printed homes.”
图标的Vulcan技术
ICON’s construction capabilities revolve around its proprietary Vulcan 3D printer, which is specifically designed to produce single-story buildings rapidly, affordably and with maximal design freedom. With an adjustable width and print capacity of 2,000 sq. feet, the system is compatible with multiple different slab sizes, enabling users to flexibly construct habitable structures in a variety of layouts.
鉴于瓦肯人也可以在不需要组装的情况下运输和部署，因此图标能够将其用于世界各地的3D打印低成本住房。直到2018年，该公司与非营利合作伙伴合作New Storytofabricate a $4,000 350-square foot house在德克萨斯州，作为投资者的早期概念证明。
Since then, ICON has built on the capabilities of its platform by creating groups of buildings, includinghouses for the homeless在拉丁美洲和“世界上第一个3D印刷社区。”The construction firm has also built upwards as well as outwards, developing huge“车辆隐藏结构”为了U.S. Marines Corps, and its even been contracted byNASAto produce a system for3D printing on the moon.
To-date, the company’s additive manufactured structures have largely been built as a proof-of-concept, demonstrating the capabilities of its technology. However, in its latest project, ICON is now taking its first steps into 3D printing commercial buildings, potentially reflecting a deviation in its broader growth strategy.
The East 17th Street project
As part of its ambitious East 17th Street program, 3Strands is effectively using ICON’s technology to build a small community of 3D printed homes, in the booming area of East Austin. Already, the company has constructed four different dwellings, each taking 5 to 7 days to complete, which are expected to be inhabitable by the summer of 2021.
由设计公司Logan Architecture, the houses include vaulted master bedrooms, secluded offices and a minimalist rustic aesthetic. By using 3D printing and ICON’s robust Lavacrete material, 3Strands has been able to make the homes both energy efficient, and more resistant to fire, flooding and high winds than regularly-constructed buildings.
What’s more, according to 3Strands, using ICON’s technology has provided it with “better value” than conventional production methods, adding that “the future of homebuilding is here and now.” With the final ‘finish-out’ of the properties now well underway, the firm has listed them on the local housing market, citing a starting price in the “mid-400s.”
O’Dell总结说：“与传统建筑相比，图标在各种成本中的中心拥有更好的房屋，包括材料，市场和劳动力，”“东17街住宅代表了大众市场的房屋建筑未来，并说明了这项技术的可能性。”
Scaling new heights with 3D printing
仅在过去的一年中，3D打印就被用于创建许多大型结构，从三层楼的建筑到巨大的涡轮塔。
基于德国的小组目前3D printing the ‘world’s first three-floor commercial apartment使用丹麦建筑公司COBOD’slarge-format machines. Once finished, the building will be split into five rentable apartments, and listed on the local housing market.
2020年6月，Corbod的3D打印技术也由GE Renewable Energy构建“record-tall” wind turbine towers. Built as part of a multi-year program, the sizable concrete structures are designed to boost renewable energy production, while lowering its overall cost.
Elsewhere, 3D printer manufacturerWASPhas taken a more eco-friendly approach, fabricating its‘TECLA’ sustainable habitatusing only raw natural materials. Although the structure has only initially been erected as a proof-of-concept, it’s designed to act as a blueprint for a new more circular housing model.
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Featured image shows one of ICON’s 3D printed homes at the East 17th Street site. Photo via ICON.
