Two 'fire-resistant' homes have been built with A1-rated 3D printed concrete walls in Buena Vista, Colorado by VeroTouch and South Main.
The walls of the 'VeroVista' houses are said to offer the highest level of fire resistance and do not fuel combustion at any stage. This was a pre-requisite for the houses since nearly half of the Colorado population lives in regions at risk of wildfires.
According to a press release distributed by COBOD, the second house's superstructure was 3D printed in just 16 days using the BOD2 3D construction printer. The BOD2 printer followed a predefined path 'with precision', reduced manual labour and saved weeks of construction work. One of the homes features the 'characteristic layered concrete look typical of printed buildings,' while the other is said to blend in with a more traditional finish, using stucco for the walls.
“In an era of fast housing, VeroTouch is creating legacy homes that can be passed down, rather than torn down,” said Grant Hamel, VeroTouch’s Chief Executive Officer. “Beyond merely great design, we’re proud that VeroVistas homes offer a level of resilience to natural disasters like wildfires unmatched by any other product in this region. Because of that, we expect these homes to be standing strong 100 years from now.”
“We are proud to accelerate innovation in housing to better address Colorado’s housing needs,” added Governor Jared Polis. “The unveiling of these 3D printed homes is a great example of how we can support new building methods to create more housing now.”
Eve Liebmann, Executive Director of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), said: “We commend VeroTouch for helping increase the supply of housing, which will allow more Coloradans to live in the communities they love.”
Philip Lund-Nielsen, Co-founder and Head of Americas at COBOD International, offered: “3D construction printing provides a safer, more efficient, and sustainable way to build. Colorado investing in broader application of 3D construction printing shows that this scalable method can help address the housing crisis, not only in Colorado, but across the U.S.”
The houses are priced at $625,000 - above the average house price in Colorado’s mountain communities. VeroTouch received support from Colorado’s Innovative Housing Incentive Program (IHIP), which aims to support the construction of 7,500 homes over the next three years. Local contractors were used to support the project.
After the success of the first two 3D printed homes, VeroTouch has already commenced work on the development of a 32-home neighbourhood in Salida, Colorado. Construction of the first house is underway, and the company has expanded its team to meet the increasing demand for safe, 3D printed homes.
