Today, there are more than a billion people living without safe shelter. And today, we see the beginnings of what will become more common by 2030: 3-D printed neighborhoods built to tackle the problem of housing more quickly and at a lower cost than traditional building. This summer, New Story, the non-profit behind the new neighborhood, will start the first project in Latin America, building the frame of these houses, configured to accommodate different family sizes, in less than a day.
New Story cofounder, Alexandria Lafci, explained why design is so important: “Very often we as a society are willing to accept ‘less than’ — ‘less than’ in quality, ‘less than’ for innovation, ‘less than’ great design, ‘less than’ for the input that families are able to have in their solution. Even when populations are seemingly vulnerable, or seemingly will accept whatever is given, that’s not an excuse to not really push to have the highest quality.”
The article also notes that similar designs could help bring more affordable housing to the U.S, since Icon, the Austin-based startup that created the 3D home printer used in the project, also plans to work domestically.
Read the article and watch the video here to see the houses and neighborhood come to life: