HUD Showcases 3-D Printing As An Innovative Solution For Affordable Housing Supply

By HUD

Photos: Facebook\HUD

FAIRBANKS, AK — On Tuesday, senior leaders from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) joined the University of Alaska Fairbanks to demonstrate and highlight one of the innovative ways HUD is working to boost the supply of affordable homes: 3-D printing.

“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.”

At  Tuesday’s event, Solomon Greene, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, Richard J. Monocchio, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, and Northwest Regional Administrator Andrew Lofton joined Pat Pitney, the President of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, to showcase this new potential solution to building affordable homes.

“This partnership is instrumental towards our work to invest in new, innovative technologies to address Alaska’s housing challenges,” said University of Alaska President Pat Pitney. “I’m grateful to HUD and our private and academic partners for making this happen, and we’re excited to see what this printer will do for our community.”

“This is a momentous day, not only for us at HUD or for our partners, but for the future of affordable housing construction in extreme climates in places like Alaska,” said HUD Northwest Regional Administrator Andrew Lofton. “Today, we showcased the latest example of how technological innovation, when paired with local knowledge and strong community partnerships, can help us build the quality, affordable, and resilient homes our country needs.”

HUD presented a Research Partnership grant of $600,000 to the City of Nome, Alaska, in May 2023, helping to support this crucial work. The project team, including partners Xtreme Habitats Institute (XHI) and Penn State University, will conduct the design, engineering, materials research, development, planning, and analysis required to 3-D print high-quality, affordable, energy-efficient, and sustainable housing for communities in sub-arctic regions of Alaska. In Fairbanks, students and researchers at the University of Alaska will continue to refine, test, and design protocols for the mobile printer that will move to Nome.  In Nome, the team will use the mobile 3-D printer designed and built for the environment to construct and evaluate a prototype home. One of the key goals of this construction project is to use sustainable local resources for the construction material. Outside of HUD and the City of Nome, other key partners on this project include the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, XHab 3D, Inc., and Fairbanks Materials, Inc.

In April, HUD launched the “Road to Innovation” tour, led by the Office of Policy Development & Research (PD&R), where HUD leaders traveled across the country to uplift examples of investment in innovative construction techniques boosting affordable housing supply. Fairbanks is the 7^th stop of the ongoing tour, following trips to Detroit, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, New York City, and Jersey City during the spring.

Under the Biden Harris Administration, HUD has not only invested in innovation to boost the supply of homes, but also partnered with entrepreneurs and innovators in the private sector and updated HUD rules to help unleash and scale housing innovation. At HUD’s 2024 Innovative Housing Showcase, the Department welcomed thousands of visitors to the National Mall to view incredible exhibitors, showcasing their own models of innovative housing from their communities. At the Showcase, Acting Secretary Todman launched a new program to invest in manufactured home communities – a key affordable option for many families. In July 2022, HUD initiated the largest set of proposed changes to the HUD Code in over two decades, proposing to allow materials that facilitate modern design approaches and improve quality, allow certain ridge roof designs, add provisions for multifamily manufactured homes of up to three units, update requirements for open floor plans, add accessibility improvements, and more. For more on HUD’s work to boost innovation in housing or to see photography or footage from today’s event, email [email protected].