Yves Béhar, the founder of the San Francisco-based design firm fuseproject, has teamed up with building startup ICON and housing charity New Story to bring about what they describe as "the world's first 3D-printed community."

Last year, ICON and New Story went to SXSW 2018 and announced the successful printing of their first permitted 3D-printed home. Now, the companies are employing that technology to build much-needed housing in Latin America. Béhar, who recently launched a line of prefabricated ADUs, has designed the series of small homes and is working with the two to begin printing this summer. 

Future residents of the 3D printed neighborhood have been involved in the planning process from the get-go, providing feedback on land selection, community layout, and home designs. Through this engagement, the design has come to reflect a desire for different programs, climate factors, and growth. As examples, the designer created an outdoor kitchen in response to a culture of using outside spaces for cooking and dining; the interior walls are curved for easy cleaning and to reduce areas where mold can develop; and local cement blocks with puncture holes are added for ventilation. 

The new neighborhood will cater to families earning less than $200 a month, and is part of New Story's mission to help end global homelessness. Founded in 2014, they have preciously worked in Haiti to help those whose homes were lost in the 2020 earthquake.More recently, the non-profit has looked to new technologies such as 3D printing as a way of developing a more efficient building process. They hope the technology can help to speed up construction and decrease costs. 

"We feel it's our responsibility to challenge traditional methods," remarked CEO Bretty Hagler. "Linear methods will never reach the billion+ people who need safe homes. Challenging our assumptions, iterating based on data, and taking calculated risks on innovative ideas will allows us to reach more families with the best possible solutions, exponentially faster" Hagler added.

As a solution to our housing crisis, many have been skeptical that innovations in construction such as prefabrication or 3D printing are  the answer. For Mr. Béhar, who was skeptical at first, his faith in 3D printing capabilities has grown through working on this project. "I believe the most advanced technologies can deliver designed solutions for those most in need," the designer said. "It is both the new technology from ICON and the vision of New Story that is making it possible today."