The median cost for a US home in 2020 is around $320,000. But for a 3D-printed house — constructed via robotics and light stone material, often in less than 24 hours — the cost ranges from $4,000-$115,000. Oakland, Calif.-based startup Mighty Buildings has 3D-printed around nine homes since 2017, but in 2021 they expect to build “at least 100 units, and likely many more,” said co-founder and Chief Sustainability Officer Sam Ruben.
Meeting the housing challenge with a cost-effective solution
“There’s a big increase in multigenerational living. People are seeking urban lifestyles. They want cheaper homes so they can live near each other and still have their independence,” Ruben said. Icon, an Austin, Texas-based construction tech company, finished construction building this year on an entire community of 3D homes in Tabasco, Mexico — 50 houses in all — which were donated to homeless families in the area free of charge.
“There is a severe housing shortage in this country,” said Icon’s VP of Operations Dmitri Julius. “A recent Freddie Mac study shows an estimated 2.5 million additional housing units will be needed in the US to make up this shortage.
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