The first 3D printed house in Florida takes shape in Tallahassee, July 20, 2021. Credit: Josh McLawhorn with Level Up Media
A new wave of the future we first introduced you to in a past newsletter has now arrived in Florida – right here in Tallahassee: 3D Printed homes. Gulf Coast Additive Manufacturing & Design (GCAM&D), a subsidiary of Florida-based construction company, Precision Building & Renovating, LLC., has begun its work on the state’s first 3D printed home!
Specializing in the production and utilization of 3D print technology in the construction field, James and Kyndra Light share a vision of rethinking construction to provide affordable housing and jobs. In the neighborhood of Griffin Heights, the couple has purchased a plot of land in collaboration with Printed Farms and has already struck ground making use of their access to the Danish manufacturer COBOD’s construction 3D printer. When completed, the home will feature 1,440 total square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Both the interior and exterior walls are created through Printed Farms’ COBOD BOD2 printer and set atop previously poured slab at the base. In finishing the structure, a truss and shingle rooftop were added.
The building is nearly finished less than 24 hours later. Credit: Josh McLawhorn with Level Up Media
The $175,000 – $200,000 house has since been thoroughly printed though it won’t be available to tenants for another 8-10 week while the inside is being built-out. Partially funded through the City of Tallahassee’s Affordable Housing Construction Loan program, this project is just one of numerous innovative solutions that the city continues to provide in their endeavor to raise the amount of available affordable housing units.
The 3D printed housing technology may very well be the next big innovation in the construction industry, as some of these homes can literally be produced in two days. And it seems to have the necessary community support, too. “We have a tendency to apply theories in affordable housing to the sticker price, when truthfully the concept is much bigger than that,” says Kyndra Light. “People need places to thrive, not just exist. We want to be a part of making that more accessible.”
Keep an eye out for these 3D printed homes popping up in Tallahassee and throughout the state, as the next dwellings of the future.
See you on the road,
Lisa
LMA Newsletter of 8-9-21
