ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — The City of St. Petersburg is soon to have its very first 3D-printed home, built through part of an affordable housing program.
“You’re talking something that might be a two — or two and a half week process — can be squeezed down into a day and a half, maybe two days,” said Nick Bradford, owner of Structures Group, an engineering consultancy firm.
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The developer, Bright Community Trust, is handling the 3D-printed project.
“The affordable lot disposition program was created as a way to incentivize developers to create affordable housing at a low cost,” said Beatriz Cafra, code operations manager with the City of St. Petersburg.
How does it work? The machine in the center draws an outline of the home using a type of concrete and traces over that outline again and again, moving higher each time until the outer walls reach where the ceiling should be.
“The path of modernization essentially is wiping out labor and exchanging it with technology that over the long run is less expensive,” Bradford said.
Bradford said when it comes to hurricanes, these homes would likely perform a lot like a brick house.
“They will probably face the same susceptibility that your standard single-family house would have,” Bradford said.
He said the technology has the potential to become “the next big thing,” but also pointed out there are some downfalls.
He said having a limited number of machines could add delays in getting from job site to job site. He added that machines may also not be able to build homes with a second or third floor.
“As you get more complicated, you start eliminating the cost savings,” Bradford said.
According to the city, the developers have six more homes that they are actively working on.
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