ICON’s House Zero - 3D-printed Home Pushing Boundaries of Sustainable Architecture & Design

ICON’s newest 3D-printed home, “House Zero” is the first in what ICON hopes will be an entirely new genre of homes that are specifically designed to utilize opportunities created by 3D printing. For this initial project in ICON’s “Exploration Series,” the team partnered with the award-winning Texas firm, Lake|Flato Architects, to push the boundaries of resilient and sustainable architecture and design. Located in East Austin, “House Zero,” was 3D printed by ICON’s next-gen Vulcan construction system and designed by Lake|Flato, known for their sustainable designs. Blending mid-century modernist ranch house aesthetics, the home features an elevated architectural and energy efficient design that highlights the benefits of resiliency and sustainability, with the digital possibilities of additive construction. “House Zero is ground zero for the emergence of entirely new design languages and architectural vernaculars that will use robotic construction to deliver the things we need most from our housing: comfort, beauty, dignity, sustainability, attainability, and hope,” said Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO of ICON. “Houses like this are only possible with 3D printing, and this is the new standard of what 3D printing can mean for the world. My hope is that this home will provoke architects, developers, builders, and homeowners to dream alongside ICON about the exciting and hopeful future that robotic construction, and specifically 3D printing, makes possible. The housing of our future must be different from the housing we have known.” The innovative home, a 2,000 sq-ft, 3 bedroom/2.5 bath home and a 350 sq-ft, a 1 bedroom/1 bath accessory dwelling unit, features ICON’s resilient 3D-printed wall system, which replaces a building system traditionally made up of multiple steps saving time, waste and cost. The walls of the home are made with a proprietary cementitious-based material, “Lavacrete,” insulation, and steel for reinforcing. Lavacrete provides thermal mass that slows heat transfer into the home and the combination of thermal mass, increased insulation, and an airtight wall increases the energy efficiency and reduces lifecycle costs. Find out more --