American construction technology company ICON is building 100 3D-printed homes in the Community First! Village expansion area in Austin, Texas, to provide permanent housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness. The project is developed by the nonprofit organization Mobile Loaves & Fishes and supported by the foundation of U.S. homebuilder Lennar.
This batch of homes includes townhomes and family residences, with individual floor areas ranging from approximately 380 to 1,040 square feet, equivalent to roughly 35 to 97 square meters. ICON uses the Vulcan series of large-scale construction robots to print walls layer by layer. The structural walls of a single home can be printed by two construction workers within 24 hours, while roofing, doors and windows, mechanical and electrical systems, and interior finishes are still completed using conventional construction techniques.
ICON has been involved in the Community First! Village development since 2019 and has planned and implemented 117 3D-printed homes and supporting structures within the community, using equipment ranging from the Vulcan Block 2 to Block 4 printing systems. The early completed homes are approximately 400 square feet in area and feature a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, and porch.
The Phase 3 and Phase 4 expansions of Community First! Village add 127 acres of land, approximately 51 hectares, and will accommodate nearly 1,400 homes. Upon completion of the expansions, the community's total footprint will reach 178 acres, approximately 72 hectares. The community is currently home to more than 420 residents who were formerly chronically homeless, and upon full completion, it is planned to provide housing and community support for approximately 1,900 individuals.
The community is planned in clusters of 40 to 50 homes each, with clusters arranged around communal kitchens, laundry facilities, sanitary amenities, and green spaces, while also featuring a medical clinic, community center, farm, market, public transit stops, and employment support spaces.
ICON completed the first permitted 3D-printed home in the United States in 2018. Its Vulcan system uses construction robots, digital control software, and cement-based printing materials to complete wall construction, reducing the need for on-site formwork and some manual labor while supporting curved and customized wall geometries. 3D printing primarily covers the structural walls of homes, and total home costs remain influenced by land, foundations, roofing, mechanical and electrical equipment, and finishing work.