Pioneering advanced construction and large-scale 3D Printing, ICON was selected as ArchDaily’s Best New Practices of 2021 due to its boundary-breaking technology that is advancing capability in the built environment. The Texas-based startup has just unveiled various toolkits and products to modernize construction processes further. Dubbed “Domus Ex Machina,” the event showcased a range of innovations, such as an AI Architect created for home design and construction, a digital library containing over 60 pre-designed home plans, a new eco-friendly building material, and a robotic printed facilitating multi-story construction. Together, these developments aim to offer a quicker, more environmentally friendly way to build high-quality, affordable housing globally.
The first tool, representing a paradigm shift in construction methodology, is Phoenix. ICON’s Phoenix system allows for printing entire building enclosures, including roofs and foundations. This new robot technology can potentially decrease ICON’s printing costs by producing results that increase speed and scale dramatically while reducing setup time and requirements. Currently taking project orders, Phoenix’s offerings vary from wall systems to roofs, and foundations at different price points. ICON claims that the price of the building is lower than the current estimates. A standard wall system saves the American home up to $25,000. The robot’s first engineering prototype has already finished building a demonstration structure that stands 8.2 meters tall and is on display in Austin, Texas.
CODEX is a digital compilation that includes over 60 pre-designed home blueprints, across five themed collections. With a focus on quick and affordable housing, CODEX enables developers, builders, and homeowners to work effectively with ICON. Collaborating with architects worldwide, the goal is for CODEX to become the world’s most extensive digital collection of buildable home designs. Three of the collections have been curated by the acclaimed Bjarke Ingels Group, who have worked in collaboration with ICON to design various 3D-printed model homes in the past.
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From Decarbonization to Ornamental Expression: Innovative 3D Printed Projects From 2023Marking a significant milestone in eco-friendly building techniques, CabronX is a low-carbon extrudable/printable concrete mix. Featuring the support of a white paper co-authored with the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, CarbonX showcases superior life cycle assessment outcomes than conventional stick-framed buildings. CarbonX is scheduled for field deployment in April 2024 and will be available to clients and projects outside ICON's 3D-printed endeavors. Research efforts to reduce CarbonX's carbon impact are ongoing, and new formulations are expected to be unveiled in the future.
Designed to be an AI-powered alternative for designing and building homes, Vitruvius aims to combine human inputs and project specifications into detailed architecture plans, financial estimates, and timelines. Now open in beta, Vitruvius claims to speed up the design process by producing floor plans and interior and exterior renders in a matter of minutes, customized to fit the needs and budgets of each user. ICON expects Vitruvius to create schematic drawings by year's end. Subsequent versions will include construction documentation and designs, budgets, and schedules ready for permits.
ICON exists as a response to the global housing crisis, aiming to produce 3D printing that delivers high-quality homes that are more affordable and quicker to make. Last year, the company unveiled the first 3D-printed model home co-designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group. The house is part of the largest-scale development of 3D-printed homes worldwide, currently under construction. Additionally, ICON collaborated with Liz Lambert and Bjarke Ingels to rebuild “ElCosmico,” a campground hotel in Marfa, Texas. Expected to break ground this year, the hotel features new architectural approaches, including 3D-printing domes, vaults, and parabolic forms. Finally, ICON has recently been awarded a contract by NASA to develop the Olympus construction system in partnership with BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group. The project will help build infrastructures such as landing pads, habitats, capsules, and roads on the lunar surface and Mars, using extrusion-based additive construction technology and local materials like lunar regolith.
