The innovative House Zero in Texas is a joint project between Lake|Flato and ICON, a company that specializes in advanced construction technologies and large-scale 3D printing. This 3D-printed structure sets new standards for sustainable architecture.
The Austin home was built as part of an exploratory series of large-scale homes in Texas. It differs from its predecessors in its original, improved architecture and energy-efficient design. Its area is about 185 square meters. meters. It has three bedrooms, three bathrooms. Nearby there is a guest house with an area of about 35 square meters. meters, it has one bedroom and a bathroom. Both structures are equipped with the ICON 3D printed sustainable wall system: it replaces the traditional multi-stage construction system and thus saves construction time, costs and minimizes waste.
“House Zero’s practical design expands the capabilities of 3D printing and is unlike anything we’ve designed before. This is a true home of the future, where the principles of high-performance housing are applied. It combines new technologies with regional construction strategies, says Lake|Flato’s Ashley Heeren. “We worked closely with ICON software developers, robotics engineers and materials scientists to create a new set of architectural strategies for printed concrete structures. House Zero could be the solution for climate-sensitive homes. The flexible plan allows for ever-changing lifestyle patterns, meaning it can easily be tailored to suit a family’s needs throughout life.”
A zero-emission home is built with the bare essentials. Concrete walls are framed and protected by ordered wooden elements. The structure is made using new robotic printing processes, but natural wood, good daylight and views from the windows make it comfortable thanks to the application of biophilic design principles.
“It is essentially a new language of design and architecture that uses robotic construction to bring together comfort, beauty, dignity, sustainability and hope. This is a new standard for what 3D printing can mean for the world – and we hope this example will encourage architects, developers, builders and ordinary people to make robotic construction possible, because the housing of our future will have to be different from what we know,” says Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO of ICON.
Lake|Flato is known for creating sustainable and authentic buildings, and has already received numerous awards – including 13 Top Ten Green Projects awards from the AIA Committee on the Environment. It has also been named one of the ten most innovative architecture firms in the world.
Photo: Casey Dunn
