Tim Lankau, founder of Hive3D Builders, took a break from pouring concrete to explain the details of an innovative home the company completed outside Brenham, Texas.
The company's goal is to revolutionize construction through 3D-printing technology, which claims to save time and money and produce less waste compared with traditional construction methods.
YouTuber Jarett Gross, whose channel focuses on automated building processes and affordable housing, previously shared some details on the project, but Lankau was able to shed more light on the design and the implications for the market and the environment.
The walls of the 3,150-square-foot home were printed with 3D mortar using one of the company's old gantry-style printers. They're 12 inches thick by 10 feet high and filled with foamcrete for reinforcement, making them strong and thermally insulated.
"It should be one of the strongest houses ever built around here, so it should last forever," Lankau shared in the video.
Although that's a bit of hyperbole, they should last for over 50 years, as the company noted on its website. They're designed to handle extreme weather, including heavy rains and high winds. Many of the materials are also fire resistant, and the homes can be designed for specific climates.
According to research done at the University of New Hampshire, it wasn't until 2021 that the first 3D-printed home was built and occupied in the U.S. By 2022, around 129 homes had been produced using this method. Texas has been a leader in 3D-printed constructions.
The benefits of using 3D printing in construction are many. They include the ability to incorporate local aggregate materials in the mortar, thereby reducing transportation pollution. UNH's data also compared 3D printing to prefabricated modular construction, cast-in-situ reinforced concrete, and both cold and hot steel in building a two-story home. It showed that 3D printing reduced construction times by 95%, resulted in 32% less carbon dioxide pollution, and offered various cost savings compared with the other four methods.
Hive3D is also partnering with a new supplier for a low-cost geopolymer cement that is said to be carbon neutral and significantly stronger than traditional — and highly polluting — Portland cement.
With less waste, fewer resources, and more sustainable materials, 3D-printed homes look like the future of housing.
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For sure 👍 The Brenham-area home was selling for a little over $700,000 at the time of the video. Lankau said it was less expensive than other homes its size. Plus, it had a pool.
Hive3D has ramped up its operations since that project, with a series of 1,700- to 1,900-square-foot residential villas underway in Marfa, Texas.
Zuri Gardens is one of its newest projects. It is located in Houston and slated for spring 2025, with site work already underway. This development includes 80 homes ranging from 1,000 to 1,300 square feet. Hive3D said they will be far more affordable, with prices starting in the low $200,000 range.
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