Homebuyers interested in relocating to Georgetown, Texas, may have the opportunity to live in a large, 3D-printed neighborhood.
ICON, a construction tech company, along with Lennar, a home construction company and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), an architecture company, are teaming up to develop Wolf Ranch — a 100-home, 3D-printed community.
"Wolf Ranch marks the largest community of its kind in development in the world and in partnership with one of the largest home builders in the country, Lennar," Dmitri Julius, chief of special projects at ICON, told Fox News Digital.
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The partnership between Austin-based ICON and Lennar "offers a promising path toward an alternate method of delivering technology-driven homes that meet rising demand in desirable communities," Julius added.
Printing for Wolf Ranch started in the fall of 2022 — and reservations for homes are set to begin on June 10, 2023, Fox News Digital is told.
The overall goal for Wolf Ranch is to "get people excited that the future of homebuilding is here," Julius also said.
Prices for the homes will start in the mid $400,000 range.
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ICON and its team are building a community with new innovative technology.
"By combining innovative robotics, software and advanced materials, we are creating beautiful, resilient homes co-designed by a world-renowned architecture firm, BIG, that are technologically advanced, environmentally sustainable and architecturally striking," Julius told Fox News Digital.
Those at ICON, Lennar and BIG believe now is a good time to get started on this project because of America's housing shortage, according to ICON.
"This problem is a problem of scale and the solution also has to be at scale," Julius said.
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"In the future, we believe robots and drones will build entire neighborhoods, towns and cities," he added.
"We hope to look back at Lennar’s Wolf Ranch community as the place where robotic construction at a large scale began."
Georgetown is one of the fastest growing suburbs north of Austin, according to Julius, making it an ideal location to break ground, he also said.
"The Georgetown community prides itself on honoring our past and innovating for our future, and we are eager to see the future being built right here," Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said in ICON's November news release about the project.
The homes, which will offer three to four bedrooms and two to three baths, will reportedly be "technologically advanced, environmentally sustainable and architecturally striking," while still holding true to the ranch-style homes that are popular in Texas, ICON's announcement states.
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"ICON is 3D-printing the wall systems using the robotic construction system and large-scale 3D printers and proprietary Lavacrete material," Julius said.
"Roofing, solar installation and finish out will be completed by Lennar," he also said.
"BIG has co-designed these contemporary Texas ranch style homes to offer beautiful, more resilient and energy-efficient homes to the Wolf Ranch community."
The community will also offer eight floor plans, with living spaces ranging in size from 1,574 to 2,2112 square feet.
Representatives from ICON told Fox News Digital that they "have already had tremendous interest [in] the neighborhood" from perspective residents.
While ICON is creating the first neighborhood entirely made of 3D-printed homes, this isn't the first time 3D homes have been printed in America.
In 2021, Habitat for Humanity partnered with Alquist, a 3D printing construction company, to build the first-ever 3D-printed, habited home.
Houston welcomed the first multi-story 3D-printed home in the U.S.
That followed a two-year collaboration between Cornell University and multiple global engineering organizations, including Hannah Engineering Design, Peri 3-D Construction, and Cive Design and Engineering.
Want to learn more about 3D-printed homes?
Here is further detail.
Q: How do 3D-printed homes differ from conventionally built homes?
A: Homes built with ICON’s robotic construction systems are strong, resilient and more energy-efficient — and are created using advanced materials, engineering and 3D robotics, the company said.
The durable homes are designed to withstand extreme weather and resist water, mold, termites and fire.
"Purposefully and sustainably built with precise robotic construction, the homes feature elevated architectural designs that highlight the benefit of resilience with the digital possibilities of additive construction."
Additionally, the advanced materials and tight thermal envelope created using ICON’s large-scale 3D printer provide reduced temperature fluctuations, for comfortable living spaces.
Q: How would a homeowner hang a photo or art on the walls?
A: Hang artwork the same way you would hang it in conventional constructions. Just run to your local hardware store and grab anchor screws. Picture rails also work well.
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Q: How do you clean the walls?
A: For cleaning, treat these walls similarly to painted walls; as necessary, use a dust cloth or damp microfiber cloth to remove any dust or debris by gently wiping clean.
Q: Is there reinforcement and insulation within the walls?
A: ICON homes have horizontal and vertical reinforcement as well as insulation throughout the homes.
Anyone interested in learning more can visit iconbuild.com.
