Ground broken on first 3D-printed show home

BUILDING TODAY | 22 August 2024

The company at the forefront of New Zealand’s 3D-printed construction scene, Iconic Construction, has officially broken ground on the country’s first 3D printed show home, due to open to the public in November.

The show home is currently under construction in Hamilton, and follows hot on the heels of the company’s first 3D-printed commercial build in 2023, the Creators Day Care Centre, also in Hamilton.

Working in partnership with QOROX, the leaders in 3D-printed structures, Iconic is already well underway printing the internal and external walls that will make up the show home in the Brymer Heights subdivision.

Iconic director Nick Lane says the team is thrilled to be underway on the show home build, which will demonstrate the potential 3D printing has to speed up the build process, and deliver a more sustainable approach to the construction industry in New Zealand.

“We’ve already shown how 3D printing can be utilised in commercial construction, but we believe the residential market needs a massive shake-up to make a dent in the housing shortage this country is desperately suffering from,” Lane says.

“This show home presents us a great chance to show the public the many benefits of living in a solid concrete structure, something that much of the world has been doing for hundreds of years.

“Building in this way can not only provide warmer, healthier homes, but by 3D printing these homes, we can speed up the build process, get home owners into their homes sooner, and create homes that last for generations.”

The construction team plans to have the show home up and operational before the end of November, 18 weeks after breaking ground on the project.

Iconic Construction and QOROX aim to prove that printing homes in New Zealand will not only speed up construction times, but also allow for a raft of new design possibilities.

This will give home owners the opportunity to push the boundaries of house designs, one of the major reasons why show home architectural designers, The Architecture People, are so excited about this project.

“We had a lot of fun designing this one,” designer Dean Baldock says.

“As designers, this technology allows us to challenge traditional design thinking and explore things architecturally that would otherwise be difficult to achieve with conventional building methods.”

The three-bedroom, two bathroom and open-plan living family home will have all internal and external walls 3D-printed, and feature curved designs that flow stylishly between rooms.