Support Us Button Widget

ICON’s Initiative 99 wants you to design its next project for under $99,000

Do you have what it takes to create the most innovative affordable home?

An organic-looking 3D-printed home that is fully furnished.

ICON’s designs often involve walls with fluid movement, and a lack of right angles.

Photo by ICON

ICON, Austin-based 3D-printing construction company, is calling on you to design its next housing project, but there’s a catch: it has to be built for $99,000 or less.

Called Initiative 99, registration for the contest will open to all architects — including students, firms, and individuals — this summer. The year-long competition has several phases, potential for multiple winning designs, and $1 million in prize money on the line.

A kitchen with a 3D-printed island and barstrools.

CEO Jason Ballard said he hopes this concept shifts the idea of affordable housing.

Photo by ICON

This isn’t ICON’s first foray into the affordable housing sphere — in 2019, ICON gifted a batch of homes in Nacajuca, Mexico to families living in poverty. A little closer to home, ICON has been working on building homes for Community First! Village since 2020.

ICON CEO Jason Ballard said the rubric will include taking “beauty, aesthetics, comfort, sustainability, and resiliency” into account. Once designs are in, a panel of architectural practitioners — including several Austinites — will weigh in.

Learn more and get designing.

More from ATXtoday
Sometimes you get the munchies late at night, so we’re helping out with a list of spots that stay open late around Austin.
The Austin jeweler shared the inspiration behind her Flora collection and what winning Eliza Page’s Austin Shines contest means to her.
Journey through local history and travel into another era by visiting these businesses, restaurants, and bars where time stands still.
Put a few local musicians on your must-see list for ACL 2025 and you may just find a new favorite to put on your playlist.
If you don’t have coffee already in hand, consider this your sign to grab some.
The Downtown Austin Alliance and Future Front Texas partnered to host the celebration of Old 6th Street and community-building event.
After closing its east Austin beer hall in 2023, the beer hall conceptualized by Bavarian royalty will debut an expanded menu in a new space this fall.
We know you’ve got some skills — now it’s time to show them off.
Whether you’re looking for big TVs, great drink specials, family-friendly spaces, or $2 hot dogs, we’ve found a local place that is going all out for college football season.
The Really Small Museum’s rotating displays will allow trail visitors to enjoy some environmentally-focused art through October.