3D printers are helping society make products faster and democratize them so that more people have access to them. Every day there is new news that exemplifies these advances, such as the impression of prostheses, personal protective equipment and even clinical material. However, home building giant Lennar has taken this technology one step further.

The company has partnered with Icon, a construction-focused technology startup, to create the first 3D-printed neighborhood. Lennar aims to build 100 homes in Austin , Texas, by 2022.

Icon had experimented with this technology before, but their biggest project had been 3D printing four houses. However, this new plan will be the most ambitious in the sector, as has been said by both companies, since there is no other project of this size.

The houses will be designed by the company that took care of the Mars habitat
Another of the data that increases the interest that the US is putting in this neighborhood is that the company that will be in charge of designing the houses will be the same that was in charge of the project of the 3D printed habitat of Mars , Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).

Notably, Lennar and BIG recently invested $ 207 million in Icon. “Lennar has always pushed the boundaries of technological innovation to maintain affordable quality housing and 3D printing is an immensely encouraging approach,” said Eric Feder, president of Lenx, another of the companies that invested in the startup, as pick up Insider .

To carry out this project, Icon has created and patented the material ‘lavacrete’ . This initiative responds to the need to solve the shortage of labor and materials. In addition, it is necessary to offer a faster alternative to traditional construction due to the growing demand for housing in the US.

“There is a deep need to rapidly scale up supply without compromising quality, beauty or sustainability and that is exactly the strength of our technology,” explained Jason Ballard, Icon CEO and Co-Founder.