Southern Hemisphere’s Largest Fully 3D Printed Building Completed
10/11/2023: New Zealand’s leading 3D concrete printing company, QOROX, has successfully completed the Southern Hemisphere’s largest 3D printed building. Their advanced 3D concrete printing technology enabled them to complete the project more cost-effectively and sustainably. The CEO of QOROX sees 3D concrete printing as the next evolutionary step in the construction industry and intends to further advance this technology by entering the business of selling 3D concrete printers.
Southern Hemisphere’s Largest 3D Printed Building
New Zealand just got a new milestone: the largest 3D concrete printing building in the Southern Hemisphere. The print was carried out by QOROX, a Waikato-based 3D printing company that has been revolutionizing the Kiwi construction industry since 2018. The recently completed ‘Paremoremo House’ is also the first fully 3D-printed residential home in the Auckland suburb it was named after. The home was constructed using 3D printed concrete panels and, with a total area of 252m², will accommodate a family of four. By harnessing the design capabilities of 3D concrete printing, QOROX was able to bring to life a unique design that complements the site’s natural contours and serene setting. This distinctive design was crafted by the multi-award-winning Dorrington Atcheson Architects (DAA). QOROX’s CEO, Wafaey Swelim: “DAA provided an amazing design which enabled us to fully utilize the design capabilities of our 3D concrete printer and produce a strong, secure and warm home for the owners to enjoy for many generations to come. People who visit the home are so impressed by its calmness and warmth.”
Cheaper, More Sustainable, and Disaster-Proof
Besides its flexibility in design, QOROX’s 3D printing technology provided several other advantages for the construction of the Paremoremo House. Firstly, QOROX’s 3D printing technology enabled the construction to be carried out in a more sustainable manner. The home’s 63 panels, totaling an area of 360m², were printed using its own material that is 80% locally sourced. Before being installed on-site by QOROX and Senior Construction, the walls were printed in the prefabrication facility in Hamilton, ensuring optimal print conditions. Combining this with 3D concrete printing’s general environmental advantages, QOROX was able to achieve construction with 30% fewer emissions than traditional concrete builds.
Swelim added that the technology also enabled “the formation of wall cavities for insulation, plumbing and electrical wiring.” By incorporating these typically essential production processes, QOROX was able to save money on these additional production steps. The flexibility of 3D concrete printing also allowed the future owners of the Paremoremo House to add their personal touches without incurring additional costs. “It’s pretty cost effective, and you can get the geometric proportions and shapes that you would have to spend a lot of money to get if you did it in traditional concrete construction,” noted DAA director Tim Dorrington about the technique.
Lastly, the house is equipped perfectly to withstand New Zealand’s natural environment. The 3D printed walls provide excellent thermal mass quality, making it an exceptionally climate-resilient home. This quality allows the Paremoremo home to stay warm during the cold winter months. The house in Auckland was also built in a region prone to both flooding and earthquakes. By ingeniously applying 3D concrete printing, QOROX was able to build the home completely flood-proof, while also meeting the world’s highest standards of earthquake-proofing.
Driving the Next Evolution in Building
Wafaey Swelim believes that 3D printing is the next essential step for the construction industry to evolve. “3D printed concrete is the next evolution in building, and it’s happening right now, right here in New Zealand.” Besides carrying out 3D prints like clockwork, QOROX has recently started advancing the technology even further in New Zealand by entering the business of selling printers. The 3D construction company sources their hardware and software from the Dutch 3D-tech company CyBe Construction. By entering into a reseller agreement earlier this year, QOROX has officially become an authorized reseller of CyBe printers. This way, they can expand the evolution of 3D concrete printing in New Zealand even more effectively. With their recent achievement of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest 3D printed building and their efforts to advance 3DCP by utilizing and selling more CyBe printers, QOROX is ready to drive the next evolution in the New Zealand construction industry.
Seaboost: Printing Artificial Reef
Seaboost focuses on restoring and enhancing marine ecosystems. Their main approach in achieving this goal is the application of artificial reef. These underwater structures mimic the role of a natural coral reef in their ability to provide the right environment for the local marine life. They provide shelter and nurturing to fish and crustaceans, promoting the ocean’s biodiversity. Additionally, the 3D printed concrete reef assists in protecting our shorelines from erosion and storm surges. We’re proud of Seaboost’s man made reefs, constructed by our coral reef printers, doing a great job in protecting our planet and ourselves.
The world’s tallest 3D printed building
The 345 m2 building was 3D printed by the leading Saudi Arabian real estate developer, Dar Al Arkan, using a COBOD 3D construction printer The building has a total height of 9.9m and is therefore also the tallest on-site 3D printed building in the world Low cost local materials were used at a cost of […]
Watch Melodie Yashar’s TED Talk: How to Build for Human Life on Mars
“How to build for human life on Mars”
We are delighted to announce that the TED Talk “How to build for human life on Mars” by Melodie Yashar, Vice President of Building Performance & Design at ICON, is now available for viewing at TED or in the embedded video below.
TED is a global phenomenon that has captivated the hearts and minds of its audience for nearly 40 years by offering unique perspectives on topics that people may or not be familiar with. Since its founding, TED has rapidly increased its global presence by inviting people from different backgrounds to share their interests and expertise with the world. Similar to those who came before her, Melodie was invited to share her passion for space exploration and architecture – with the TED community.
Melodie Yashar, ICON’s Director of Building Design & Performance, delivers her TED Talk. Photo credit: TED / Ryan Lash
Learning to live and work on Mars will be no small feat. During her visionary TED talk, Melodie introduces work to design off-world shelters with autonomous robots and 3D printers and explores how it might help uncover radical solutions to some of the problems troubling humans on Earth today. Melodie underscores the importance of creating an architecture that evolves with the needs of humanity, especially in the midst of climate change and the urban housing shortage.
Melodie Yashar, ICON’s Director of Building Design & Performance, delivers her TED Talk. Photo credit: TED / Ryan Lash
For more video of ICON’s off-world construction work, visit ‘ICON 3D Prints Simulated Mars Surface Habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center’
ICON’s House Zero Receives Top Honors in Architizer’s Annual A+ Awards
3D-printed home in Austin recognized as one of the world’s best buildings and spaces.
We are ecstatic to share that ICON’s House Zero was selected as the winner of the Architecture +Experimental Design and +New Technology award categories in Architizer’s esteemed A+Awards for 2022. This list bestows honor on firms and companies that have sought to cultivate and advance society’s appreciation of meaningful architecture and design while simultaneously shining a light on the individuals behind these innovative ideas.
Our inclusion in these categories was based on a review by a 250+ member jury along with a round of voting that was open to the public. ICON’s goal of incorporating its noteworthy 3D printing technology and software into the homebuilding process gave them the opportunity to cut back on the time, materials, and costs that are needed to build a traditional home.
House Zero, 3D printed by ICON and designed by Lake|Flato Architects, is ICON’s most innovative home yet, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with architecture through automated construction only achievable through 3D printing. The 2,000+ sq ft home is the first project in ICON’s Exploration Series and illustrates the development of new design languages and architectural vernaculars created by construction scale 3D printing. By introducing biophilic principles into the design process and taking them to heights that we have never seen before, House Zero was able to revamp modern architecture by breathing new life into the movement and changing the face of the housing landscape as we know it.
Read More at https://architizer.com/projects/house-zero/
Construction and Technology: ICONArchitecture: Lake|Flato ArchitectsStructural Engineer: GNAStructural Engineer: WJEMEP Engineer: Integral GroupLandscape Architect: Word + CarrInterior Design: Lake|Flato Architects + ICONLighting Design Consultant: Studio Lumina
ICON’s House Zero Named to TIME’s List of the Best Inventions of 2022
3D-printed Home Designed by Lake|Flato Architects joins ranks of TIME’s Best Inventions featuring extraordinary innovations changing lives
We are honored to share that ICON’s House Zero, designed by Lake|Flato Architects, has been selected as a recipient of TIME’s Best Inventions 2022 in the Design category!
TIME Best Inventions was founded in an effort to bring awareness to the products, software, and services that are solving complex problems in compelling and innovative ways. Each year, thousands of individuals and companies submit their products and services for review across 33 categories ranging from accessibility, connectivity, and apps & software to wellness, beauty, and social good. Once submitted, each of these inventions is reviewed extensively by a panel of judges to determine a product’s impact, not only as it relates to the now, but also in regards to how it will hold up in the future. House Zero is one of the only residential home projects to ever receive this prestigious award.
House Zero’s inclusion on this esteemed list is a cherished stepping stone for ICON as it underscores ICON’s mission of putting robotics, software and advanced materials in service to humanity. Using innovative technologies in the form of the next-generation Vulcan construction system enabled ICON to build a home that was optimized specifically for 3D printing. The future of homebuilding is here.
To view ICON’s profile, visit TIME.
PERI live 3D printing with COBOD printer was the highlight at bauma
In an unprecedented showcase PERI took it upon themselves to live 3D print the walls of a small house each day for 7 days at the Bauma exhibition last week in Munich, Germany the largest construction exhibition in the world More than 600,000 visitors from 200 countries attended the exhibition, with over 300,000 coming to […]
Bakrie and COBOD establish JV for 3DCP
Director of PT Bakrie & Brothers Tbk (BNBR) Roy Hendrajanto M. Sakti, at the event said the agreement was made to forge the collaboration between Modula and COBOD, to focus on developing business in the construction industry with 3DCP technology in Indonesia. This collaboration will be realized in the establishment of a new company called […]
First on site 3D printed house in California
The 1,200 SF (112 m2) house was 3D printed with locally made real concrete mixed on site and erected in the area of Redding, Northern California which lost 1,100 houses in the 2018 wildfires The one-story house is 8 feet tall, with cavity concrete walls each of 50 mm and was permitted according to the […]
Record speed: GUtech Oman 3D prints three new buildings in just 8 days
The first 3D printed coffee shop in the world, a public restroom and a Fisherman’s house was 3D printed in respectively 22, 13 and 19 hours and the total duration including movements of the printer was 8 days. A total of 173 m2 (1,851 SF) of buildings were made with a cost for the concrete […]
Danish construction robot challenges masons across the world
The layer is about 10 cm/ 3,93701 inches wide and 4 cm/1,5748 inches high. The robot’s mouthpiece lays the concrete layer upon layer up to 1 meter/ 3 feet per second, exactly as it is drawn in a computer program. It can turn into a new house or the foundation of a wind turbine. Today it […]
Ohio State University goes big with 3DCP
Pantheon3D, a Youngstown-based additive manufacturing construction company, has received COBOD’s BOD2 3D construction printer to The Ohio State University’s Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME) on January 6. CDME collaborates with Pantheon 3D using COBOD technology to, among others, improve Ohio’s portfolio of affordable housing. Pantheon3D aim to provide high schools, trade unions, and […]
10 houses 3D printed in 10 weeks
From Oct. 2022 to Jan. 2023, 14Trees 3D printed 10 houses in Kilifi, Kenya, averaging one house per week 6 three-bedrooms (76 m2 / 836 SF) and 4 two-bedrooms (56 m2 / 616 SF) houses have been 3D printed so far, making Mvule Gardens in Kilifi the largest 3D printed project to date No other […]
Global research on 3D construction industry
New research shows that by end of 2022, there were 129 3D printed buildings globally found on 105 building sites. Geographically, around 30% of 3D printed buildings are located in North America, however all regions are well represented. COBOD’s 3D construction printers have printed almost 40% of projects globally, equivalent to 51 buildings. These printers […]
ICON and Lennar to Build Largest Neighborhood of 3D-printed Homes…
Innovative 100-home Community Breaks Ground in Austin Area in 2022
Lennar, one of the nation’s leading homebuilders, and ICON, a construction technologies company pioneering large-scale 3D printing, today announced a commitment to build the largest community of 3D-printed homes to date using ICON’s innovative robotics, software and advanced materials. Breaking ground in 2022, the 100-home community will be codesigned by the acclaimed architecture firm, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group.
The announcement deepens a relationship that began with Lennar’s investment in Austin-based ICON’s recent $207-million financing round and offers a promising path toward delivering affordable, technology-driven homes that meet rising demand.
“Labor and material shortages are two of the biggest factors pushing the dream of home ownership out of reach for many American families,” said Eric Feder, President of LENX. “Lennar has always expanded the boundaries of technological innovation to keep quality homes affordable and 3D printing is an immensely encouraging approach. We are excited to collaborate with ICON to develop solutions to emerging challenges in the coming years.”
ICON’s 3D printing technology produces resilient, energy-efficient homes faster than conventional construction methods with less waste and more design freedom – keeping construction projects on schedule and on budget. Designed and engineered from the ground up for volume 3D printing of homes with precision and speed, ICON’s Vulcan construction system can deliver homes and structures up to 3,000 square feet that are built to the International Building Code (IBC) structural code standard and expected to last as long or longer than standard Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) built homes. ICON’s proprietary wall system and advanced materials are stronger and longer-lasting than traditional building materials and provide safer, more resilient homes that are designed to withstand extreme weather, greatly reduce the impact of natural disasters, and be printed at high speeds and at scale.
“ICON exists as a response to the global housing crisis and to put our technology in service to the world,” said ICON co-founder and CEO Jason Ballard. “Construction-scale 3D printing not only delivers higher-quality homes faster and more affordably, but fleets of printers can change the way that entire communities are built for the better. The United States faces a deficit of approximately 5 million new homes, so there is a profound need to swiftly increase supply without compromising quality, beauty, or sustainability and that is exactly the strength of our technology. It is an honor and a huge milestone for ICON to partner with Lennar, an elite top-tier homebuilder with a commitment to innovation. We believe this will be a watershed moment in the history of community-scale development and the future breaking into the present.”
“Additive manufacturing has the potential to revolutionize the built environment as it gets adopted by the industry at scale,” said Martin Voelkle, Partner, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group. “By partnering with ICON and Lennar, we are able to see this new technology roll out to the widest possible audience. The 3D-printed architecture and the photovoltaic roofs are innovations that are significant steps towards reducing waste in the construction process, as well as towards making our homes more resilient, sustainable, and energy self-sufficient.”
Lennar’s investment in ICON’s Series B financing round in August was facilitated by LENX, which drives a focused strategy within Lennar to integrate technology solutions across the homebuilding industry. With a clearly defined strategy of investing in technology companies directly adjacent to Lennar’s core homebuilding operations and a disciplined investment process, LENX provides hands-on mentorship and guidance from senior leaders of Lennar’s management team and a marquee opportunity to provide products and technology to Lennar customers, allowing portfolio companies to scale at an unprecedented pace.
ICON Unveils “House Zero” and Announces 2022 SXSW Activations
New 3D-printed Home Pushes the Boundaries of Resilient and Sustainable Architecture and Design; Official SXSW Event Tours of ICON’s “House Zero” Revealed for March 13-14, 2022
Photo: Casey Dunn
AUSTIN, TX, March 2, 2022 – ICON, the leader of advanced construction technologies pioneering large-scale 3D printing, today unveiled its newest 3D-printed home, “House Zero” in Austin, Texas. House Zero is the first in what ICON hopes will be an entirely new genre of homes that are specifically designed to utilize opportunities created by 3D printing. For this initial project in ICON’s “Exploration Series,” the team partnered with the award-winning Texas firm, Lake|Flato Architects.
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As an official SXSW partner, ICON will open the doors to “House Zero” for tours March 13-14, 2022 from 9am – 6pm (badge holders will have priority entrance). Sign up today for a tour of the world’s most beautiful 3D-printed home that illustrates the future of homebuilding at https://bit.ly/Tour_ICONHouseZero.
Photo: Casey Dunn
ICON co-founder and CEO, Jason Ballard, will also be delivering a featured talk at SXSW 2022 discussing the role robotics, architecture, materials science will play in solving many of humanity’s current challenges such as housing affordability, community health, sustainability, climate resiliency, and human potential. Moderated by PBS NewsHour correspondent and PBS NewsHour West anchor, Stephanie Sy, the featured session, “It’s Time to Build: a Conversation with Jason Ballard,” will take place on March 15, 2022 at 2:30pm at Hilton Austin Downtown in Salon H. Find out more — > https://bit.ly/SXSW_ICON
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ICON’s House Zero
Located in East Austin, “House Zero,” was 3D printed by ICON’s next-gen Vulcan construction system and designed by Lake|Flato, known for their sustainable designs. Blending mid-century modernist ranch house aesthetics, the home features an elevated architectural and energy efficient design that highlights the benefits of resiliency and sustainability, with the digital possibilities of additive construction.
Photo: Casey Dunn
“House Zero is ground zero for the emergence of entirely new design languages and architectural vernaculars that will use robotic construction to deliver the things we need most from our housing: comfort, beauty, dignity, sustainability, attainability, and hope,” said Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO of ICON. “Houses like this are only possible with 3D printing, and this is the new standard of what 3D printing can mean for the world. My hope is that this home will provoke architects, developers, builders, and homeowners to dream alongside ICON about the exciting and hopeful future that robotic construction, and specifically 3D printing, makes possible. The housing of our future must be different from the housing we have known.”
The innovative home, a 2,000+ sq-ft, 3 bedroom/2.5 bath home and a 350 sq-ft, a 1 bedroom/1 bath accessory dwelling unit, features ICON’s resilient 3D-printed wall system, which replaces a building system traditionally made up of multiple steps saving time, waste and cost. The walls of the home are made with a proprietary cementitious-based material, “Lavacrete,” insulation, and steel for reinforcing. Lavacrete provides thermal mass that slows heat transfer into the home and the combination of thermal mass, increased insulation, and an airtight wall increases the energy efficiency and reduces lifecycle costs.
Photo: Casey Dunn
Biophilic principles—the way that humans connect with nature and nature-inspired compositions —are behind much of “House Zero’s” design and best accomplished using ICON’s next-generation 3D-printing technology. The curved walls create structurally efficient self-stability, while rounded corners allow for softer, more naturalistic circulation routes throughout the home. Doorways and windows were strategically placed to accentuate accompanying landscapes; eastern-facing high clerestory windows illuminate the living room with soft, yet dynamic sunlight, minimizing the need for electrical lighting throughout the day.
“The 3D-printed wall design and its inherent biophilic quality conveys an ordered, yet non-rigid pattern invoking a rooted and timeless sense of natural refuge,” said Lewis McNeel, Associate Partner, Lake|Flato.
Photo: Casey Dunn
“While the organic nature of the 3D-printed concrete and curved walls are new design languages for us, House Zero was still entirely in line with the natural connections we seek in our architecture,” said Ashley Heeren, Associate, Lake|Flato. “The home expresses our shared passions for craft and performance in an inviting and comfortable family home constructed through a totally new way of building. It’s been a thrill for our team to work with ICON on such an innovative home design and be a part of the future of homebuilding.”
ICON continues to set new standards for delivering resilient, dignified housing at high-speed and lower cost. Raising $451 million to date in funding, ICON has delivered communities of 3D-printed homes in the U.S. and internationally and forged partnerships with world-renowned architects, builders and housing organizations missionally aligned to shift the paradigm of homebuilding. In fall 2020, ICON was awarded a research contract through the Air Force, which included funding from NASA to begin research and development of an off-world construction system planned to support future exploration of the Moon and beyond.
Photo: Casey Dunn
About ICON
ICON develops advanced construction technologies that advance humanity. Using proprietary 3D printing robotics, software and advanced materials, ICON is shifting the paradigm of homebuilding on Earth and beyond. For more information visit www.iconbuild.com or follow the conversation on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube (@ICON3DTech).
About Lake|Flato
Established in 1984, Lake|Flato designs buildings that respond to the culture and climate of each unique place. Lake|Flato believes in creating environments that enrich communities and nurture life. In collaboration with clients, Lake|Flato creates buildings that are tactile and modern, environmentally responsible and authentic, artful and crafted. Lake|Flato’s work has received wide critical acclaim in more than 300 international, national and regional awards, including the American Institute of Architects Firm of the Year Award in 2004 and 13 Top Ten Green Project Awards from the AIA Committee on the Environment. Lake|Flato placed 1st in Architect Magazine’s 2019 Top 50, an annual ranking of the best U.S. firms, and was named one of the Ten Most Innovative Architecture Firms in the World by Fast Company. For more information visit https://www.lakeflato.com/.
EUROPE’S LARGEST 3D PRINTED BUILDING
Europe’s largest 3D printed building is being constructed by PERI in the city of Heidelberg, Germany, with COBOD’s BOD2 printer. The building is almost 600 m2 (6600 sft), 54m (162 ft) long, 11m (121 ft) wide and 9m (30 ft) high and contains an IT server hotel The project is made for Heidelberg IT Management […]
ICON and Lennar Announce Community of 3D-printed Homes is Now…
Reservations Begin in 2023 for the 100-home Community Co-designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group
GEORGETOWN, TX – November 10, 2022 – ICON, the leader of advanced construction technologies pioneering large-scale 3D printing, and Lennar, one of the nation’s leading homebuilders, announced today that construction is underway on the largest community of 3D-printed homes and reservations will begin in 2023.
GET ON THE LIST
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Situated north of Austin in the city of Georgetown’s master-planned community of Wolf Ranch by Hillwood Communities, a Perot company, the 100-home community combines innovative robotics, software and advanced materials to create homes that are technologically advanced, environmentally sustainable and architecturally striking. Each Lennar home in Wolf Ranch is co-designed by the renowned architectural firm BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group. Prices are anticipated to start from the mid-$400,000s.
“We are very pleased to partner with ICON and BIG in building a first-of-its-kind, printed home community that combines innovative designs with sustainable features at an affordable price,” said Stuart Miller, Executive Chairman of Lennar. “Given the housing shortage that persists across the country, it has never been more important to innovate in order to find new methods of construction that will enable greater design flexibility and greater production at affordable prices.”Blending contemporary Texas ranch style aesthetics, the community of 3D-printed homes features elevated architectural and energy-efficient designs that highlight the benefits of resiliency and sustainability with the digital possibilities of additive construction. Delivered at speed and at scale using a fleet of ICON’s Vulcan robotic construction systems, software and advanced materials, each home’s full wall system – including interior and exterior walls – are produced with less waste and with more design freedom.
“For the first time in the history of the world, what we’re witnessing here is a fleet of robots building an entire community of homes. And not just any homes, homes that are better in every way… better design, higher strength, higher energy performance and comfort, and increased resiliency,” said Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO, ICON. “In the future, I believe robots and drones will build entire neighborhoods, towns, and cities, and we’ll look back at Lennar’s Wolf Ranch community as the place where robotic construction at scale began. We still have a long way to go, but I believe this marks a very exciting and hopeful turn in the way we address housing issues in the world.”
Construction at Wolf Ranch deepens a relationship that began with Lennar’s investment in Austin-based ICON’s series B financing round and offers a promising path toward an alternate method of delivering technology-driven homes that meet rising demand in desirable communities. In addition to state-of-the-art homes, Lennar homeowners in Wolf Ranch can enjoy all of the amenities offered in tree-covered hill country – including pools, recreational trails and parks within easy access of downtown Georgetown and a short drive to Austin.
Lennar’s investments are facilitated by LENX, which drives a focused strategy within Lennar to integrate technology solutions across the homebuilding industry. With a clearly defined strategy of investing in technology companies directly adjacent to Lennar’s core homebuilding operations and a disciplined investment process, LENX provides hands-on mentorship and guidance from senior leaders of Lennar’s management team and a marquee opportunity to provide products and technology to Lennar customers, allowing portfolio companies to scale at an unprecedented pace.
The community will offer eight stunning floorplans with 24 unique elevations ranging from 1,574 to 2,112 square feet of thoughtful living space. The homes will offer three to four bedrooms and two to three baths. All homes will be powered by the sun with rooftop solar panels and will feature components from Lennar’s Connected Home package including a Ring Video Doorbell Pro, a Schlage Encode™ Smart WiFi deadbolt and a Honeywell Home T6 Pro WiFi smart thermostat. Plus, each home will come equipped with the Wolf Ranch security package.
“We are excited to welcome Lennar and ICON’s cutting-edge home construction technology to Georgetown,” Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said. “The Georgetown community prides itself on honoring our past and innovating for our future, and we are eager to see the future being built right here.”
“Hillwood Communities is honored that ICON and Lennar chose Wolf Ranch to launch this exciting initiative and we look forward to the positive impact it will bring to the homebuilding industry,” said Fred Balda, president of Hillwood Communities. “This innovative approach aligns with Hillwood’s long history of elevated design and the thoughtful development approach we take to ensure a higher standard of living for the residents of our communities.”
Reservations begin in 2023. Interested homebuyers can join the interest list by clicking here.
About Lennar Corporation
Lennar Corporation, founded in 1954, is one of the nation’s leading builders of quality homes for all generations. Lennar builds affordable, move-up and active adult homes primarily under the Lennar brand name. Lennar’s Financial Services segment provides mortgage financing, title and closing services primarily for buyers of Lennar’s homes and, through LMF Commercial, originates mortgage loans secured primarily by commercial real estate properties throughout the United States. Lennar’s Multifamily segment is a nationwide developer of high-quality multifamily rental properties. LENX drives Lennar’s technology, innovation and strategic investments. For more information about Lennar, please visit www.lennar.com.
About ICON
ICON develops advanced construction technologies that advance humanity. Using proprietary 3D printing robotics, software and advanced materials, ICON is shifting the paradigm of homebuilding on Earth and beyond. For more information visit www.iconbuild.com or follow the conversation on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube (@ICON3DTech).
About BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group is a Copenhagen, New York, London, Barcelona, and Shenzhen-based group of architects, designers, urbanists, landscape professionals, interior and product designers, researchers, and inventors. Led by Bjarke Ingels, the studio is currently involved in projects throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East. BIG’s architecture emerges out of a careful analysis of how contemporary life constantly evolves and changes. BIG believes that by hitting the fertile overlap between pragmatic and utopia, architects can find the freedom to change the surface of our planet, to better fit contemporary life forms.
About Hillwood
Hillwood, a Perot company, is a premier commercial and residential real estate developer, investor and advisor of properties throughout North America and Europe. Through its Communities division, Hillwood has delivered more than 40,000 single-family lots in more than 100 master-planned communities across 13 states and Costa Rica. These communities continue to raise the bar in terms of quality, innovation and the unmistakable sense of community that sets each property apart. Before laying the physical groundwork for any new residential development, Hillwood Communities takes the time to focus on the ideals that draw people together — and the everyday interactions that strengthen those bonds. By purposefully designing its walkways, gathering spaces, and structural amenities to spark spontaneous encounters and foster shared interests, Hillwood Communities believes in the power of community. For more information, please visit http://www.hillwoodcommunities.com.
About the City of Georgetown
Georgetown is a welcoming, vibrant city that has been ranked No. 1 in Southern Living Magazine’s “South’s Best Cities to Live in” and is home to the “Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas.” Georgetown has a rich history, with Victorian storefronts and a cultural district with a wide selection of restaurants, wineries, shops, art galleries, theaters, and museums, as well as Southwestern University, tied for the No. 1 National Liberal Arts College in Texas in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking. Outdoor recreation includes 40 parks, 16 miles of hiking and cycling trails, and Lake Georgetown. Georgetown is the fastest growing city in the U.S. with a population of more than 50,000.
ICON To Develop Lunar Surface Construction System With $57.2 Million…
SBIR Phase III Contract Furthers ICON’s Space-based Construction Technology Developments & Will Target Humanity’s First-ever Construction on Another Planetary Body
AUSTIN, TX, November 29, 2022 – ICON, a leader in advanced construction technologies and large-scale 3D printing, announced today that it has received a contract awarded under Phase III of NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The nearly $60 million contract builds upon previous NASA and Department of Defense funding for ICON’s Project Olympus to research and develop space-based construction systems to support planned exploration of the Moon and beyond. ICON’s Olympus system is intended to be a multi-purpose construction system primarily using local Lunar and Martian resources as building materials to further the efforts of NASA as well as commercial organizations to establish a sustained lunar presence. [embedded content]
“To change the space exploration paradigm from ‘there and back again’ to ‘there to stay,’ we’re going to need robust, resilient, and broadly capable systems that can use the local resources of the Moon and other planetary bodies. We’re pleased that our research and engineering to-date has demonstrated that such systems are indeed possible, and we look forward to now making that possibility a reality,” said Jason Ballard, ICON co-founder and CEO. “The final deliverable of this contract will be humanity’s first construction on another world, and that is going to be a pretty special achievement.”
Highlighting the commonalities between advanced construction on earth and in space, ICON will continue to pioneer methods and technologies to solve some of the most vexing construction challenges facing our species from affordable housing to living on other planets. ICON’s selection for this award is a vote of confidence in the young, growing company and its mission to revolutionize the construction industry both on Earth and off.
In support of NASA’s Artemis program, ICON plans to bring its advanced hardware and software into space via a lunar gravity simulation flight. ICON also intends to work with lunar regolith samples brought back from Apollo missions and various regolith simulants to determine their mechanical behavior in simulated lunar gravity. These findings will yield results that inform future lunar construction approaches for the broader space community, including for critical infrastructure like landing pads, blast shields and roads. This technology will help to establish the critical infrastructure necessary for a sustainable lunar economy including, eventually, longer term lunar habitation.
“In order to explore other worlds, we need innovative new technologies adapted to those environments and our exploration needs,” said Niki Werkheiser, director of technology maturation in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. “Pushing this development forward with our commercial partners will create the capabilities we need for future missions.”ICON’s vision for Olympus, the multi-purpose ISRU-based lunar construction system.
NASA has signaled that, through the Artemis program, the Moon will be the first off-Earth site for sustainable surface exploration. Building a sustainable presence on the Moon requires more than rockets. For a sustained lunar presence, robust infrastructure will need to be built on the Moon that provide better thermal, radiation, and micrometeorite protection. ICON’s development plans are following a “live off the land” approach by prioritizing the use of in-situ / native materials found on the Moon. From landing pads to habitats, these collective efforts are driven by the need to make humanity a spacefaring civilization.
In 2021, ICON was also awarded a subcontract through Jacobs supporting NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) as part of NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) and delivered the world’s first and only simulated Mars surface 3D-printed habitat. Designed by architecture firm BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, Mars Dune Alpha is located at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and will aid in long-duration science missions.
Known for its advanced 3D printing technology for homebuilding on Earth, ICON began its journey to transform construction with the delivery of the first, permitted 3D-printed home in the U.S. in 2018. Since then, the team has delivered communities of 3D-printed homes in the U.S. and Mexico and barracks for women and men who serve with the U.S. Army and Air Force, and the Texas Military Department. ICON’s proprietary Vulcan technology produces resilient, energy-efficient homes faster than conventional construction methods with less waste and more design freedom.
For more on ICON’s off-world construction and space-based technology advancements, visit www.iconbuild.com.
About ICON
ICON develops advanced construction technologies that advance humanity. Using proprietary 3D printing robotics, software and advanced materials, ICON is shifting the paradigm of homebuilding on Earth and beyond. For more information visit www.iconbuild.com or follow the conversation on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube (@ICON3DTech).
ICON Launches Global Architecture Competition ‘Initiative 99’ to…
With a $1,000,000 Prize Fund, Pioneer in Robotic Construction Calls on Architecture Community to Design Homes That Can Be Built for Under $99kLearn More at www.Initiative99.com
AUSTIN, TX, MARCH 15, 2023 – ICON, the global leader in construction-scale 3D printing, has announced Initiative 99, a global architecture competition aimed at designing accessible, beautiful, and dignified homes that can be built for under $99,000.
Registration for the competition opens in the summer of 2023 and architects from all over the world including firms, individuals, and university students are encouraged to participate. The multi-phase, year-long competition offers a total prize purse of $1 million (USD). ICON has committed to building a selection of the winning designs at multiple locations to be announced in the future.
“We need a moonshot for affordable housing, and I believe Initiative 99 will be the most important architectural competition in history,” said Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO ICON. “The current affordable housing landscape seems to have been designed and built without taking beauty, aesthetics, comfort, sustainability, and resiliency as serious requirements. It’s time we attack this problem just as energetically as we’ve addressed other human challenges in the past.”
The vision of a home with construction costs under $99,000 has inspired and motivated city planners, developers, government officials and non-profit organizations for decades. And yet clear barriers subsist for realizing a truly affordable housing prototype at scale within communities that need them most. The current approach to homebuilding and addressing the global housing crisis is not working as more than 1.2 billion globally lack adequate shelter. Initiative 99 exists to unite the global architectural, design, and building community in a shared mission to build a better future for those that need it most.
Ballard continued, “With Initiative 99, we are changing the way that we talk about affordable housing. When we talk about affordable housing, the conversation is often depressing and so are the results. Our goal is that Initiative 99 would in turn create the conditions for affordable housing to be something hopeful, optimistic and exciting, and furthermore catalyzes the building of some really incredible affordable homes that just years ago would not have even been possible. The future could be a wonder, but we have to all work together to make it so.”
The Initiative 99 jury will consist of an expert panel of architectural practitioners, academic leaders, policy makers and non-profit organizations committed to realizing affordable housing solutions including: Michelle Addington, Architect and Dean of Architecture at University of Texas, Austin; Lucia Athens, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Austin; Brett Hagler, CEO and Co-Founder, New Story; Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director of Bjarke Ingels Group; Michael McDaniel, Director of Design, ICON; Melodie Yashar, Vice President of Building Design and Performance, ICON, and others to be announced
Registration for the competition opens Summer 2023 – sign up to learn more at www.Initiative99.com
As an official 2023 SXSW partner, ICON will be hosting a featured program, ‘A Moonshot for Affordable Housing’ on March 15, 2023 at 2:30pm at The Long Center for the Performing Arts, 701 W Riverside Dr. Austin, TX, with an official SXSW special event and concert to follow. Jason Ballard will be joined by Bjarke Ingels (BIG), Michelle Addington (UT School of Architecture) and Sarah Satterlee (Mobile Loaves & Fishes) for a dynamic conversation as they ignite a call to action on the future of accessible housing and share visions that could change the way we design and build for our global community. More details can be found at https://iconofficialsxsw2023.splashthat.com/
About ICON
ICON develops advanced construction technologies that advance humanity. Using proprietary 3D printing robotics, software and advanced materials, ICON is shifting the paradigm of homebuilding on Earth and beyond. For more information visit www.iconbuild.com or follow the conversation on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube (@ICON3DTech).