Affordable Housing Initiative in Alaska Uses 3D Printing

In an effort to increase affordable housing, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently joined the University of Alaska Fairbanks to showcase a new 3D printing project. Last year, HUD awarded a $600,000 Research Partnership grant to Nome, Alaska, for the project, which is in partnership with Xtreme Habitats Institute and Penn State University. Through the partnership, the team will design and develop affordable, sustainable homes for Alaska's subarctic regions using 3D printing techniques. Researchers at the University of Alaska will refine and test the mobile 3D printer before it moves to Nome, where a prototype home will be constructed using local materials.

“We need to think bigger, bolder, and more creatively than ever if we want to build the affordable homes of the future,” said Solomon Greene, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. “Here at HUD, we are using innovative solutions to build the housing our growing nation needs. This 3-D printer is an exciting representation of this new frontier, and we cannot wait to see it at work.”

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