Thousands of people experience homelessness every year in Austin, Texas. Fortunately, there are efforts underway to support these people by—as simple as it sounds—building housing for them. As part of this effort, construction 3D printing company ICON is once again teaming up with Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a local nonprofit that that has dedicated itself to supporting the Austin homeless community for nearly three decades, to build 100 more 3D printed homes in the Community First! Village.
Community First! Village is a neighborhood that is being built with the express goal of tackling homelessness in Austin. The village, which currently spans 51 acres in northeast Travis County just outside of Austin, currently houses 370 people and aims to provide accommodation for many more as it expands. Texas-based ICON, which recently launched its Phoenix platform, has been involved in the construction of this innovative community for the past four years, including 3D printing 17 homes and facilities.
Now, ICON, with support from Lennar Foundation, is helping to realize the next big expansion of Community First! Village by 3D printing 100 more homes. These new builds will include a combination of townhome units and family homes, ranging in size from 380 square feet to 1,040 square feet.
Manufacturing on Demand
“Community First! Village is at the center of innovation in our country in terms of communities and movements that are effectively addressing homelessness,” commented Brooke Bauguess, VP of Marketing & Marketing Communications at ICON. “With the help from our friends at Lennar Foundation, we can continue our mission to deliver dignified homes for those in need and continue the long-term relationship with Mobile Loaves & Fishes.”
Lennar Foundation, which is the charity division of Lennar, one of the U.S.’ largest construction firms, has also supported the construction of other affordable 3D printed homes, including the community at Wolf Ranch in Georgetown, Texas. In this ambitious project, ICON 3D printed 100 homes using its large-scale 3D printing technology. This housing development, which broke ground in November 2022, was nearly complete at the end of summer in 2024.
At the Community First! Village, the goal is to add an additional 127 acres and 1,400 more homes. Eventually, Mobile Loaves & Fishes hopes to house 1,800 formerly homeless people there. “We are delighted to continue our relationship with ICON and utilize their groundbreaking technology in Community First! Village as we continue building homes and bringing dignity to our neighbors who need it most,” added Alan Graham, founder and CEO of Mobile Loaves & Fishes. “With support from the good folks at Lennar Foundation, we are able to continue demonstrating why Community First! Village is a recognized leader in terms of communities and movements that are having a profound impact on the pandemic of homelessness in our country.”
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Author: Tess Boissonneault
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