From high-tech labs in Austin to wide-open lots in Marfa, Texas, is fast becoming the epicenter of 3D-printed housing. Two cutting-edge companies, ICON and HiveASMBLD are showing the nation how advanced construction technology can address affordability, speed and sustainability in homebuilding.
Adam Savage Explores ICON’s “Print Land” in Austin
Former “MythBusters” host Adam Savage recently toured ICON’s “Print Land” in Austin, where the company develops and tests its massive 3D-printing systems. Standing in front of the Vulcan 2.5 — the largest printer Savage had ever seen — he learned how ICON uses a custom concrete mixture, CarbonX, to print entire homes layer by layer.
Unlike small desktop printers, these industrial-scale machines can build durable, livable houses that meet building codes. In fact, ICON has already printed more than 200 permitted structures, many of which are now occupied.
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