a fleet of robots is building the largest community of 3D-printed homes outside austin

one hundred 3D-printed homes are taking shape

ICON, a pioneer in large-scale 3D-printing, celebrates the grand opening of its first model home at Wolf Ranch, a 100-home community 3D-printed together with homebuilders Lennar and co-designed by Bjarke Ingels Group / BIG. The ambitious residential project is further demonstrating the success of its Vulcan construction technologies, which had been previously employed in the development of four homes printed in 2021, followed by its mid-century inspired House Zero completed together with architects Lake | Flato. 

This undertaking was first announced in late 2021, and is located north of Austin, Texas as part of the larger Wolf Ranch development in the city of Georgetown. The project showcases ICON’s ability to build at scale, and to build both luxury and affordable homes — all resilient and environmentally sustainable. The team is over a third of the way through with printing the wall systems of the 100 homes, with more than 80 of the home sites actively under varying stages of construction. Explore the interiors of ‘Rune,’ the first model home now open to visitors.

‘Rune’ model home exterior | images courtesy ICON

architecture printed by icon

3D-printed by ICON together with Lennar, the 100-home community will express a contemporary, elevated Texas ranch-style aesthetic with architecture co-designed by Bjarke Ingels Group. The additive construction method is inherently energy-efficient and resilient to storms and floods. The speed and scale with which the project will be delivered is achieved by employing a fleet of ICON’s massive Vulcan robots. The system further produces far less material waste than a traditional new home, and allows the architects more design freedom.

inside the ultra-efficient homes

While the 3D-printed community by ICON, Lennar, and BIG will comprise eight floor plans and twenty-four unique elevations, there are six different housing types that Lennar is currently selling. The homes will offer three to four bedrooms and two to three baths. With several homes already sold, the first selection of homes range from $475,990 — $559,990. As construction continues to proceed, the first homeowners are expected to move into their 3D-printed houses in September 2023.

Each home will be powered by the sun with rooftop solar panels and will feature components from Lennar’s Connected Home package including a Ring Video Doorbell Pro, a Schlage Encode™ Smart WiFi deadbolt and a Honeywell Home T6 Pro WiFi smart thermostat. What’s more, each home will come equipped with a Wolf Ranch security package.

the unique striated texture is expressed along the walls and kitchen island

Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO, ICON says: ‘For the first time in the history of the world, what we’re witnessing here is a fleet of robots building an entire community of homes. And not just any homes, homes that are better in every way… better design, higher strength, higher energy performance and comfort, and increased resiliency.

‘In the future, I believe robots and drones will build entire neighborhoods, towns, and cities, and we’ll look back at Lennar’s Wolf Ranch community as the place where robotic construction at scale began. We still have a long way to go, but I believe this marks a very exciting and hopeful turn in the way we address housing issues in the world.’

eight floor plans and twenty-four unique elevations make up the 100-home community a fleet of Vulcan robots are rapidly printing the community of homes

sunlit interiors will take shape with softly curving corner conditions

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early visualization of the 3D-printed development at Wolf Ranch | image courtesy ICON

early visualization of the 3D-printed development at Wolf Ranch | image courtesy ICON

early visualization of a 3D-printed interior at Wolf Ranch | image courtesy ICON

the large-scale 3D-printing is made possible by ICON's Vulcan robots

a fleet of ICON's Vulcan robots are rapidly building the development

project info:

project title: Wolf Ranch Community

architecture, construction: ICON, Lennar, Bjarke Ingels Group / BIG

previous coverage: October 2021