HOUSTON — A home under construction is the first of its kind, not in Houston. The home is not just being built – it’s being printed as the first 3D-printed multi-story home.
It’s imagination meets innovation.
This plot of land in northwest Houston isn’t your typical construction site.
“It will have wood framing for the subfloor and for the roof," said engineering company CIVE President and CEO Hachem Domloj.
It’s the future home of a 4,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath house that's 3D printed in concrete.
“We are trying to optimize this technology in a way to minimize cost and minimize time," Domloj said.
Domloj said his company is the engineer and general contractor of the project and two other companies are involved. HANNAH is the architect and PERI is the mastermind behind the 3D machine.
“All three of us, we committed to bring this technology into Houston," Domloj said.
Multi-story 3D printed house being built in Houston
RELATED: ‘The future is faster than you think’ | Texas company breaks new ground with 3D-printed homes
Houston is the home of hurricanes and high winds.
“This house is designed to withstand 130mph, but will exceed that," Domloj said.
The house isn’t being built to be sold. Mostly, it’s for research - to figure out the best ways to use this technology in future construction.
They estimate that 3D printing a home of this size could eventually be done in as little as 12 days.
“It makes a lot of sense, and Houston is one of the fastest growing cities," Domloj said.
Domloj believes in the long run, 3D printing a house may even be more affordable.
“We are, first of all, cutting a lot on manpower," Domloj said. "That’s number one. Number two, we are using single materials for all the exterior, rather than involving so many trades."
The printing on the home should be done before the end of the year. The entire home is expected to be finished early next year.