Living life in 3D! 50 low-income families surviving on just $76-a-month will be housed in the world’s first three-dimensional printed community in Mexico
- Nonprofits New Story and ÉCHALE have teamed with Texas-based ICON, a construction technologies company, to create the world’s first 3D-printed community
- The first two 500-square foot homes were built last week as part of 50 expected to be constructed by 2020 in Tabasco, Mexico
- The residences are being offered to poor families who are living off a monthly income of just $76
- Each home has two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and bathroom – curved walls and ventilation to improve air flow because of the high temperatures in Tabasco
- ICON utilized the Vulcan II three-dimensional printer to build the houses by piping out a concrete mix – it hardens as it dries, building walls a layer at a time
- The final cost of the project has not yet been revealed but families who move in will be liable to cover 20 per cent to 30 per cent of costs
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A U.S.-based nonprofit company is creating the world’s first 3D printed community that will house 50 families in Mexico who mainly live in indigenous communities.
The first two homes were constructed last week in the southeastern state of Tabasco after 18 months of planning.
New Story, who has assisted poor families with shelters, partnered up with ICON, a construction technologies company, and ÉCHALE, New Story’s counterpart in Mexico, which works on the final construction phase.
Texas-based ICON has developed the 3D-printing robotics – which sees a 33-foot printer, dubbed Vulcan II, pipe out a concrete mix. It hardens as it dries building walls a layer at a time. The printer can build two 500-square-foot houses at a time with walls almost 9 feet high and 28 feet wide.
The goal is to complete 50, 500-square foot homes by the end of 2020.
The world’s first two 3D printed homes were constructed last week in the southeastern Mexican state of Tabasco after 18 months of planning
Each home has two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and bathroom. The residences have curved walls and ventilation to improve air flow because of the high temperatures in Tabasco
A new kind of living: The goal is to complete 50, 500-square foot homes by the end of 2020
The process could have been completed much sooner if not for some of the conditions presented by Mother Nature, as power was limited at times and rain sometimes flooded the rural roads that led workers to the construction site
The houses are made of concrete mixture called Lavacrete.
Each home has two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and bathroom. All of the residences have curved walls and ventilation to improve air flow because of the high temperatures in Tabasco.
ÉCHALE development director Gretel Uribe told DailyMail.com that the municipality of Nacajuca donated the land. The state government took care of water, electricity and drainage components.
‘I can only compare the housing 3D printer to the moon landing event. It’s going to change the world! The most advanced technology providing adequate housing for all. That’s technology at the service of mankind,’ ÉCHALE founder and managing director Dr. Francesco Piazzesi told DailyMail.com.
‘The families currently live in vulnerable conditions, in shacks with high flood risk. Humidity attract mosquitoes and cause illnesses very frequently, harming their fragile economy very hard. Having an adequate home means an immediate capital for the family and will make them feel safer and more confident’.
The process could have been completed much sooner if not for some of the conditions presented by Mother Nature, as power was limited at times and rain sometimes flooded the rural roads that led workers to the construction site.
The municipality of Nacajuca donated the land and the state government took care of water, electricity and drainage components
The houses are made of concrete mixture called Lavacrete. A dining area outside one of the homes is seen above
The homes will welcome families, whose average monthly income is $76.50, which ranks them among the poorest in all of Mexico
New Story has relied on traditional construction mechanisms to create 2,700 homes for more than 15,000 poor people in Haiti, El Salvador, Bolivia, and Mexico
The nonprofit has been working with the Mexican government to select families living in extreme poverty conditions who can move into the homes once construction of the whole new community is complete.
New Story and ÉCHALE is targeting families whose average monthly income is $76.50, which ranks them among the poorest families in all of Mexico.
At least 74 per cent of the families that were interviewed by the nonprofit organizations revealed that ‘they do not feel safe in their current living conditions and that this greatly affects their quality of life’.
The final price tag of the entire project has not yet been revealed however, families will be responsible for covering 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the home’s cost.
Some have the option to receive training to work on the construction of the home along with the engineers and construction workers. Monies earned will offset their part of the bill.
Families who were interviewed by New Story and ÉCHALE revealed that ‘they do not feel safe in their current living conditions and that this greatly affects their quality of life’
Families will be asked to foot 20 per cent to 30 per cent of each home’s final cost but they can also work on the construction of the home to offset costs
The final price tag of the entire project has not yet been revealed. The massive printer was transported in a standard shipping container