3D-Printing: The Future of Homebuilding with ICON

Founded in 2017, ICON is one example of what the future of home building looks like—all made possible by 3D-printing technology and ambitious dreams. Cofounder and CEO Jason Ballard discusses how such a home is printed and what truly keeps the ICON team motivated.

• Describe what the beginning of ICON looked like:
  The initial project aimed to create the first permitted 3D-printed house alongside our nonprofit partner, New Story, an organization aiming to help end homelessness. We wanted to illustrate the possibility of delivering 3D-printed, single-story homes that could be more resilient, be more affordable, and be delivered at a faster pace with more design freedom. In March 2018, the first home 3D-printed by us was completed in about forty-eight hours at a 350-square-foot lot in East Austin, Texas.

  Soon after, ICON raised a seed round of $9 million (where Oakhouse Partners led the funding round) and we subsequently revealed the next-generation technology, including the Vulcan II printer, which is now printing homes in central Texas and Mexico. The team recently delivered a series of homes in Tabasco, Mexico, as part of New Story’s project to 3D-print a community for families living on three dollars a day. We founded ICON because we knew there was a better way to build. With our technology, we can provide more sustainable solutions.