3D Home Printing For The World’s Poor
What started as an unfathomable idea 10 months ago has become a reality — and a viable path to revolutionizing the future of safe, decent shelter.
In partnership with ICON, a construction technology company, we designed a 3D home printer specifically made to work under the constraints that are common in places like Haiti and rural El Salvador where New Story works. And it works: we have successfully printed the first house, built to US housing standards in Austin, TX.
See what people are saying: WIRED, Fast Company, Architectural Digest
Phase I → From Idea To Printing a House.
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
Taking this risk and creating the Phase I prototype is worth celebrating as it’s a considerable step, but what’s most exciting is Phase II: 3D Printing The First Community (explained further below).
Why Are We Doing This?
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 Need An Entirely New Innovation
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.
Phase II → 3D Printing The First Community.
Turning this vision into a reality begins now.
Imagine transforming tents and shacks into a community of safe, beautiful homes, in the world’s most underserved places. Now, imagine it took half the money and a fraction of the time it typically takes to make those homes.
Here’s the even bigger picture: imagine other nonprofits and governments all over the world able to deploy this same technology so they too can scale up their impact. The results? Millions of families now in possession of one of the most basic human needs: shelter.
We believe in this future, and we’re determined to make it a reality.
Make History With Us.
Join us to innovate solutions for one of the biggest humanitarian problems we face: over a billion humans without shelter. To get the next phase of innovation rolling, we have two tangible fundraising goals. We break down funding options and the benefits of venturing with us here: 3dhome.org
