Sources: Eco Material Technologies, South Jordan, Utah; CP staff
Eco Material Technologies and builder Hive 3D have unveiled the first 3D-printed homes at The Casitas @ The Halles, a Round Top, Texas development featuring 400- to 900-sq.-ft. studio, single-bedroom or two-bedroom models. The mortar-like ink for the single-level homes utilizes Eco Material’s PozzoCEM Vite, a full portland cement replacement binder. Hive 3D previously printed a 3,150-sq.-ft. home using the producer’s signature PozzoSlag binder, formulated and finished to replace up to 50 percent of portland cement in concrete or mortar.
Eco Material and Hive 3D have worked on mix designs and processes whereby PozzoCEM Vite or PozzoSlag are batched with local aggregates on site using modified commercial mixing equipment. As a result, the builder can produce printable materials at a fraction of the cost of other commercially available 3D printing inks/mortars, and subsequently complete houses for significantly less than they could be built by traditional means. Along with Eco Material, Hive 3D has worked with one of its technology partners, CyBe Construction, develop a mobile, small footprint construction printer suiting The Casitas @ The Halles models.
“Hive 3D’s commitment to building the first 100 percent cement replacement, 3D-printed homes aligns with our goal of transitioning the construction industry away from using materials that generate approximately 8 percent of the world’s carbon emissions each year,” says Eco Material CEO Grant Quasha. “While we are known as the largest supplier of sustainable cement alternatives for large scale infrastructure projects, we are proud to be able to work with forward-thinking innovators like the team at Hive 3D to provide residential solutions as well. These homes are cost efficient, beautiful and sustainable in many senses of the word.”
“These small homes will serve as a model for affordable and eco-friendly housing throughout the country,” adds Hive 3D CEO Timothy Lankau, crediting Eco Material, CyBe Construction and Starred Sky Development for The Casitas @ The Halles deliverables. “We plan to build them at a speed and cost point that is unprecedented in the affordable housing space.”