Lake|Flato, a Texas-based architecture firm, along with ICON, an advanced construction technologies company that specializes in 3D printing, have joined forces in unveiling their latest project: House Zero. House Zero is the first house in ICON’s debuted “Exploration Series,” which aims to advance current design language with some of the finest architects in the business, drawing from the opportunities created from construction-scale 3D printing. With ICON’s new next-generation Vulcan printing system, which can print houses and structures up to 3,000 square feet, and Lake|Flato’s award-winning architectural design team, House Zero is guaranteed to be recognized around the world as a major architectural accomplishment, being the first 3D-printed home of its kind.
“House Zero will be the most incredible 3D-printed home in the world, because it was optimized and designed specifically to be 3D printed,” ICON co-founder and CEO Jason Ballard said to Builder. “This is the moment when people around the world will see more of the architectural design freedom and benefits of a 3D-printed house and believe that they too would want to live in one.”
House Zero is currently under construction in east Austin, and will boast over 2,000 square feet with three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, with an additional 350 square foot dwelling unit that has one bed and one bathroom. The house will have mid-century modern ranch-style aesthetics.
Lake|Flato is known for its sustainability-first approach to its designs, creating structures that respond to their unique climate, making them energy efficient. Additionally, 3D printing is less wasteful than traditional construction methods, using fewer materials and less time to build structures. Because of these features, House Zero is sustainable and resilient enough to be used and loved by many generations to come.
“House Zero has allowed Lake|Flato to develop our ethos of human and nature-centric design with an entirely new framework,” Lake|Flato associate Ashley Heeren said. “It’s been a thrill for our team to design this home of the future and explore new ways to create a high-performance shelter that celebrates craftsmanship, seeks increased efficiency, and eliminates steps in the construction process. This welcoming, practical home design expands the performance capabilities of 3D printing technology and is unlike any other home we’ve designed to date.”
