Which Austin-based homebuilding company is set to break ground on the world’s largest 3D-printed neighborhood? It’s ICON, the company that built the first permitted 3D-printed home in America.
This is how the business is reimagining homebuilding + construction in the Capital City and beyond.
ICON — an advanced construction technologies company — uses 3D printing robotics, software, and materials to build homes.
The company’s three co-founders Jason Ballard, Alex Le Roux, and Evan Loomis started working on the idea in 2017. Just one year later, the business’ first 3D printer successfully printed a home in Austin.
In 2019, ICON revealed the “Vulcan,” its next generation 3D printer for homes. It was around this time that the company began shipping the technology for projects in the US + Mexico.
In summer 2020, the first people to ever live in a 3D-printed home in the US moved into their 400-sqft homes in the Community First! Village in East Austin, according to ICON.
Last year, ICON 3D-printed the first simulated Mars Surface Habitat for NASA. The habitat is located at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and will support long-duration science missions.
In recent months, ICON also built a new and unique 2,000-sqft 3D-printed house (known as “House Zero”) in East Austin + a luxury 3D-printed tiny home located next door.
ICON will break ground on a 100-home community in the Austin area this year in partnership with homebuilder Lennar and architecture firm BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group. An exact location of the development and cost of homes have not been released.
To date, ICON has delivered two dozen 3D-printed structures across the country + Mexico. The company says this number is the most from any construction tech company.
Want to learn more? Watch ICON’s co-founder + CEO featured talk at SXSW this year.