See how a huge 3D printer will build 200 homes in Virginia

In late April, Alquist announced plans to build 200 3D-printed houses over the next four to five years in Pulaski, Virginia, a growing hub of manufacturing and tech jobs.

Pulaski, Va.


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Source: alquist

The “Virginia Project” will be the world’s largest 3D printed construction project, according to Alquist…

A 3D printer printing concrete into a wall.  There are groups of people next to the printer looking.


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Source: alquist, Well-informed person

This is not the first project of the 3D printing house construction company in Virginia.

An overhead view of the printer with people standing around the work area.


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In 2021, Alquist partnered with Habitat for Humanity to create a 3D-printed concrete house for a family in Eastern Virginia.

A 3D-printed Habitat for Humanity house in Williamsburg, Virginia.  The house faces the trees.  The grass in front of him is brown.


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Source: Well-informed person

And now, it’s bringing its technology from across the state to Southwest Virginia, home to manufacturing facilities like Volvo’s and a booming tech community.

An overhead view of the printer with people standing around the work area.


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Source: return, Axios

According to Alquist, more than 3,000 jobs will flood the area within the next five years, and the need for additional housing will inevitably follow.

A 3D printer printing concrete into a wall.  A person is kneeling next to the printer.


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Source: alquist

A couple hundred houses isn’t enough to meet the state’s housing demands, but “the need is so great that Alquist wants to make an impact as quickly as possible,” Zack Mannheimer, the company’s CEO, told Insider.

A 3D printer printing concrete into a wall.  A person is kneeling next to the printer.


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When the project is complete, the printed units will cover six or seven communities, Mannheimer said.

A printer that prints concrete on a rectangular structure.


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Despite the futuristic construction process, these upcoming homes will look similar to a traditional single-family unit. The most noticeable difference will be the layered walls.

A printer that prints concrete on a rectangular structure.


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If you’re having a hard time picturing this, the Virginia Project units will look similar to the three-bedroom, two-bathroom Habitat for Humanity house pictured below, a spokesperson told Insider.

A 3D-printed Habitat for Humanity house in Williamsburg, Virginia.  The house faces the trees.  The grass in front of him is bright green.


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Alquist will deploy six of Black Buffalo 3D’s Nexcon printers to build the walls of these houses.

An aerial view of the printer.


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Once placed on a track, the printers will print multiple houses at the same time excreting reinforced concrete in an even, layered pattern.

A printer printing concrete on a wall.  The concrete appears stratified.


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Once the walls are printed, the rest of the house will be completed “traditionally”.

An overhead view of the printer with people standing around the work area.


alquist



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