From left: HTL.tech CEO Justin Kinsella, Accrington and Rossendale College assistant principal Andy Parkin and Building for Humanity founder Scott Moon. Image: Building for Humanity
Harcourt Technologies is working with a UK not-for-profit to bring 3D-printed homes to low-income families.
A £6m project in the UK aims to provide homeless veterans and low-income families with houses that can printed within weeks.
The Charter Street project will have 46 “eco homes”, with a mix of apartments and houses on a site in Lancashire. The plans also include a community centre, training hub and both private and communal gardens to help create a local community.
The site is being developed by Building for Humanity, a UK-based not-for-profit housing provider. The organisation said this is the UK’s first residential project using 3D construction printing (3DCP) technology and will be the largest of its kind in Europe.
The 3D-printed homes are being delivered by Ireland’s Harcourt Technologies (HTL.tech), which has been developing and testing the technology over the past 18 months to prepare for a commercial roll-out in Ireland and the UK.
HTL.tech is the strategic partner and exclusive distributor of Cobod 3DCP technology in the UK and Ireland.
The Irish firm said this 3D printing can reduce building costs, while cutting construction time. The technology also uses recycled materials in the printable concrete mix.
“HTL’s core objective is to develop the use of 3DCP to create less wasteful and more sustainable building solutions which harness the benefits of advanced manufacturing technology to provide affordable, higher quality structures, faster and more reliably and in an environmentally beneficial manner,” HTL.tech CEO Justin Kinsella said.
HTL.tech has been working at an R&D facility at Accrington and Rossendale College to ensure the 3D-printed homes are compliant with UK building regulations. This college plans to support the technology by facilitating a 3DCP introduction course on 21 October.
Building for Humanity said the technology also allows other building components, such as doors, windows and floors, to be prefabricated and brought to site during the print sequence. The not-for-profit said its goal is to create a housing system that provides stable, environmentally efficient and secure housing.
“The model is simple, to create a charitable housing institute that is driven by human fulfilment and wellbeing rather than profit,” said Building for Humanity founder Scott Moon.
“Ultimately this development is about so much more than housing, it is about people and giving them the opportunity to thrive.”
10 things you need to know direct to your inbox every weekday. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of essential sci-tech news.
