Big changes are coming to southeast Houston, though it will be a few months before residents can step inside the city’s first fully developed 3D-printed hybrid home community.
Chron got an early look at the project-a collaboration between HiveASMBLD, a Houston-based automated construction company that specializes in 3D-printed homes, and Cole Builders, the developer behind the new community known as Zuri Gardens.
Futuristic 3D-printed neighborhood coming to Houston. (Ahmed Humble (Chron))
“This will be the first completed 3D-printed house in Houston,” Ethan Wong, co-founder and co-CEO of HiveASMBLD told Chron. “There was one that started a few years ago but was never finished. We’ve got a few more in the works, but this one will cross the finish line first.”
The Zuri Gardens development will eventually feature 80 two-story homes, each with two bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, and an office space. Vanessa Cole, co-founder of Cole Builders, said the first home should be complete in about 120 days, with the entire development expected to take roughly 18 months.
Renderings of the 3D printed home under development in southeast Houston (Cole Klein Builders and HiveASMBLD)
What sets these homes apart isn’t just how they’re built-it’s what they’re built to withstand.
“We’re talking flood-resistant, termite-resistant, mold-resistant, fire-resistant, energy-efficient homes,” Cole said. “If a flood happens, you wipe your walls and go back to your normal routine-no calling FEMA or your insurance company.”
Futuristic 3D-printed neighborhood coming to Houston. (Ahmed Humble (Chron))
The team said the concrete material used in the printing process replaces several construction steps at once-framing, siding, insulation, and drywall-cutting build time and reducing costs.
“You’re compressing about seven trades into one,” Wong explained. “Concrete homes should last a thousand years.”
Beyond durability, both companies say their goal is to make homeownership more attainable. The homes are expected to be priced in the mid-$200,000s, with multiple down-payment assistance options supported by the City of Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department.
Renderings of the 3D printed home under development in southeast Houston (Cole Klein Builders and HiveASMBLD)
The project, per the City of Houston’s website, is part of its Affordable Home Development Program, which provides forgivable loans to developers to help lower construction costs and make new homes available to buyers earning up to 120 percent of the area’s median income.
The City has committed more than $1.8 million to Zuri Gardens and allows qualified buyers to use local or lender-based down-payment assistance programs to reduce their upfront costs. Buyers must also complete a HUD-certified homebuyer education course and secure a fixed-rate mortgage, according to city officials.
Futuristic 3D-printed neighborhood coming to Houston. (Ahmed Humble (Chron))
Cole said the southeast Houston site checked all the right boxes: good drainage, water and sewer capacity, proximity to Sterling Aviation High School, Sims Bayou, and the Medical Center, plus access to Hobby Airport.
“The City has been really proactive about encouraging attainable housing,” she said. “We want educators, first responders and city workers to be able to live where they work.”
Futuristic 3D-printed neighborhood coming to Houston. (Ahmed Humble (Chron))
HiveASMBLD is also using the project to train new workers through the Texas Workforce Commission, blending robotics with hands-on labor.
“There’s still a big human element,” Wong said. “We’re not trying to replace people-we’re trying to make their jobs easier.”
Renderings of the 3D printed home under development in southeast Houston (Cole Klein Builders and HiveASMBLD)
If all goes as planned, Zuri Gardens will soon be home to Houston’s first-and the world’s second-largest-3D-printed housing development.
“It’s a new way of building an old material,” Wong said. “Concrete has stood the test of time-we’re just making it faster.”
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This article originally published at Houston breaks ground on first fully 3D-printed community.