BLACKSBURG, Va. (WFXR) – On Thursday, November 14, Virginia Housing announced a $1.1M grant to Virginia Tech for the purchase of an advanced, mobile 3D construction printer to develop affordable homes across Virginia.
The $1.1 million Community Innovation Demonstrations grant has been awarded to the Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech for testing, training, and research, as well as a partnership to print 10 affordable homes across the state by 2026.
“For years, we have been working with our partners, exploring innovative construction techniques. This collaboration with Virginia Tech marks a pivotal step forward,” said Tammy Neale, CEO of Virginia Housing. “This latest program allows us to quickly test, learn, and train future workers and partners to advance and scale 3D-printed housing across the Commonwealth.”
3D printing was first invented in the mid-1990s. In recent years, thanks to advances in nanotechnologies and manufacturing processes, 3D construction printing has become cheaper and more accessible.
The Tvasta SIRA RC20 is a robotic crawler arm-based 3D concrete printer and is being demonstrated at the Virginia Governor’s Housing for the first time in the Commonwealth this week. The almost 11-foot high, 4-ton eco-friendly printer will decrease construction time and waste.
Design features include:
- Robotic Arm Design: Unlike larger gantry-based systems, the SIRA RC20 uses a multi-axial robotic arm, offering greater flexibility and precision.
- High Payload Capacity: Engineered to handle heavy components, the SIRA RC20 can produce large-scale construction elements.
- Customizable Motion Systems: The printer offers tailored motion systems to meet specific project requirements, enhancing versatility for different types of projects.
- Eco-Friendly Design: This system minimizes material waste and can use low-carbon mixes and recycled concrete mixes to create energy-efficient structures.
3DCP are like smaller-scale 3d printers, using additive construction processes to create structures layer by layer, using concrete. The process is automated which allows for faster and more precise construction with less material waste.
(Photo Credit: Virginia Housing)
This technology can be utilized when building walls, structural components, or even an entire building.
About the Innovation Demonstration grant
- Phase 1 of the grant is underway and focuses on purchasing and maintaining the robotic-arm 3D printer. The other three phases will create a 3DCP grassroots service for affordable housing projects in Virginia and include:
- Phase 2: Training construction partners in 3DCP technology, starting with two training cohorts in the first year and increasing to four in the second year.
- Phase 3: Advancing research with Virginia Tech’s faculty to expand 3DCP knowledge and applications.
- Phase 4: Collaborating with Virginia developers to construct durable, high-performance housing that meets community needs.
Virginia Tech faculty and students will also be working with the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, the Virginia Center for Housing Research (VCHR), The School of Architecture and Design, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). Dr. Andrew McCoy with VCHR and Dr. Alex Brand with CEE applied for this latest Virginia Housing grant after partnering with the state housing finance agency in the past.
“By building multiple 3D-printed homes on different lots at the same site, we plan to study potential production-level cost and schedule savings, helping us to focus on Virginia’s supply chain, its risks, and maximize efficiencies for the industry beyond Virginia.” – Dr. Andrew McCoy with VCHR