ICON

3D printing homes for the homeless

12 followers

3D printing homes for the homeless

12 followers

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Construction technologies company shifting the paradigm of homebuilding using robotics, software and advanced materials.Dignified, resilient housing at the country's only master planned development designed specifically for the chronically homeless.

Launch tags:Home•3D Printer•Robots

Launch Team

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Operation Pie

Love the concept, but hate how the outlets are set on the wall and not in the wall. (Son of a contractor and have built my fair share of houses.)

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8yr ago

@sethlouey other than aesthetic, there is no legitimate reason that the MEP components need to be buried within the walls. We have to consider the intended market. These are built for people with no or inadequate housing. I am 100% certain that the surface mounted plugs and conduit are not something that a Salvadorian who was just gifted a home is going to notice nor complain about. Just that fact that there is electricity and a space that is structurally sound is already a life-changing upgrade. Not to mention exposed mechanical also makes servicing utilities much more accessible and easier to maintain, something to consider in areas where you are probably not headed to Angie's list to find a local tradesman. Beyond that, the "loft and industrial design craze" of the past decade has made exposed mechanical not only acceptable but desirable. Personally, I quite like the look of this design, but that is, of course, my opinion. (Son of an electrician and have rehabbed my fair share of existing houses.) ;-)

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8yr ago

Operation Pie

@just_s please don't think that I'm hating on the project because I'm not. I love what the team is doing. I'm speaking of a broader market here than just the lower class. I personally would want something like this to live in if I could get a little bit more space. I'm someone who doesn't want to pay 200k-500k for a home. I've been researching container homes for the past 5 years and want something affordable and compact.

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8yr ago

@sethlouey sorry if the tone of my reply appeared annoyed. I just reread it and it wasn't very pleasant. Not intentional. I agree with you, I would love one of these houses. My reply was meant to convey an alternate perspective and a clarification of the core mission as I understood it.

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8yr ago

So I'm in Austin, have a 7000 square foot lot, and a budget for this. What are the obstacles to making this a reality in my backyard?

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8yr ago

ICON

Maker

Hi PH! This is Matthew, one of the cofounders, at New Story the nonprofit that partnered with Icon to develop the first 3D printed home for the developing world :) I'd like to share why we decided to invest in an innovation like this. For context, in 3 years, we've built over 1,000 homes in 11 communities around the world through local partners. The challenge we face is monumental; there are more than a billion people across the globe living without safe shelter. To make a dent in that number, our ability to scale up has to change. Steady, linear improvements will never reach the total addressable market of families in need. We believe R&D and product innovation is essential with a problem of this magnitude. We have to take big swings with forward-thinking technology to achieve a quantum leap in speed, affordability, and quality. Our goal is to help power anyone building homes for the poor — governments and non-profits alike — to do their best work. As we make these strides, it means more families around the world will have safe shelter and can better actualize their potential. We’re looking at a one billion person deficit of a basic human need. We believe maintaining the status quo is irresponsible — it’s terrifying to us — as it’ll never tackle this deficit. Our hypothesis today is that this breakthrough to reach more families can be achieved through robotics and 3D home printing. A year ago, the technology we needed didn’t exist. That’s when we began working with ICON to create a solution to a seemingly unsolvable problem. The exciting result is “the Vulcan,” a 3D Home Printer designed to print a home for less than $4,000 in less than 24 hours. This robotic breakthrough delivers: * Cost decrease (from $6,500/home to ~$4,000 and even lower future cost) * Speed increase (from ~15 days to 12–24hrs to build one home) * Improved quality and customization of the home unit for families More here -> newstorycharity.org/3d-home We'd love to answer any and all questions.

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8yr ago

Horizon

@matth3wmarshall So freaking brilliant. I run a private real estate tech mastermind group (www.geekestate.com), and I talked about this announcement in the weekly newsletter I sent to members today. I love everything about it. The world needs more people tackling huge challenges like this.

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8yr ago

This is really cool. 🙏 affordabile home options. I’ve also learned recently about how energy efficient concrete homes are in general.

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8yr ago

Horizon

@barnabybones "how energy efficient concrete homes are in general." Cool, I wasn't aware of that -- but does makes sense that they would be.

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8yr ago

Tabspace

Is the 3D printer readily available to purchase or have you any plans to license the technology? Could see this being applicable in the developed world also because there are housing shortages all over the place (speaking from Ireland where the issue has reached crisis levels)

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8yr ago

Product Hunt

@matth3wmarshall @evanloomis Where in Austin is the ICON Home? I'll be there at the end of this month, and I'd love to check it out!

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8yr ago

KanaVape

That's awesome! Are you thinking to print with something else than concrete one day? I guess it's solid/affordable so it fits your current goals, but I'd love to hear more about the ecological aspect. For the planet, concrete is not a good long-term solution for building at scale, and I'm fascinated by the idea of printing walls with ecological-friendly materials (like hemp or others local resources that you find depending on the region you operate in). Curious to hear more about this! And congrats for this amazing project!

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8yr ago

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