As cities across the U.S. continue to face housing affordability challenges, a design competition in Austin, Texas, is focused on exploring innovative solutions. According to Wells Fargo—which is providing funding for the competition—Initiative 99 is asking architects to develop affordable home concepts using 3D printing methods. Headed by Austin-based nonprofit Mobile Loaves & Fishes and technology company ICON, the competition requires homes to be environmentally friendly and also cost under $99,000 to build. Upon completion, one or more of the designs will be built at scale within the 51-acre master planned Community First! Village near Austin, a metro area where housing costs have soared in recent years.
Plus, all the winning designs are available for homebuilders and architects across the nation to use to create high-quality affordable housing in their own communities via ICON's digital home catalog, CODEX. Darlene Goins, president of the Wells Fargo Foundation and head of Philanthropy and Community Impact at Wells Fargo, said the competition is a "gamechanger for the housing industry," which will push the envelope for designing lower-cost, quality housing for the people and families who need it most.