The Austin, Texas–based robotics startup Icon Technology has used its additive manufacturing technology to help realize a local neighborhood of 3D-printed houses. Located in East Austin, designed by the local firm Logan Architects, and developed by the Kansas City, Mo.–based 3Strands, the "multi-home mainstream housing development" now includes four residences, the first two of which sold when they were listed on the market in March, according to an Icon press release. The first floor of each house was 3D printed using Icon's Vulcan construction technology and durable materials aimed at ensuring the striated concrete walls "are designed to withstand fire, flood, wind, and other natural disasters better than conventionally built homes," according to the same release.
The 3D printed houses range from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet and feature an open floor plan, a covered porch, and up to four bedrooms. [Icon Technology]
Sustainability champion Lance Hosey, FAIA, died unexpectedly on Aug. 27. The chief impact officer of HMC Architects was a prominent architect, speaker, and author, as well as a longtime contributor and source for ARCHITECT. [ARCHITECT]
Paris has introduced a citywide speed limit of 30 kilometers (approximately 20 miles) per hour in an effort to reduce pollution and increase overall road safety. The city will also do away with 60,000 of its 144,000 public roadside parking spaces to make the streets more accessible. [CNN]
In light of the dire climate report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in August, PBS NewsHour reviewed U.S. efforts to retrofit existing houses to improve their efficiency and resiliency. As a case study, the PRB report examines retrofits in Europe from the Netherlands–based nonprofit Energie Sprong that added prefabricated insulated facades, Factory Zero heat pumps, and triple-glazed windows to existing residential structures. The report also takes a look at RetrofitNY, an effort launched in 2017 to increase the performance of New York's housing stock. [PBS NewsHour]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that "racial minorities in the United States will bear a disproportionate burden of the negative health and environmental impacts from a warming planet," according to an article in The Washington Post. If global temperatures rise 2 degrees C above preindustrial levels, American Indians and Alaska Natives will be 48% more likely to be affected by sea-level rise; Latinos will be 43% more likely to "lose work hours because of intense heat, and Black people will suffer significantly higher mortality rates," the article states. [The Washington Post]
Tech entrepreneur and investor Marc Lore has revealed his vision for Telosa, a Bjarke Ingels Group–designed city—designed from scratch—to promote sustainability and equity. Although Telosa's development team—dubbed the Junto Group—is still scouting sites, it plans to have the city move-in ready by 2030 with a starting size of 30,000 acres and population of 1 million. Although Junto Group plans to complete the project in stages, the initial $25 billion phase will have various sources of funding from "private investors, philanthropists, federal and state grants, and subsidies for economic development," according to Telosa's website. [Telosa]
A recent change in California's state building code will require solar panels and batteries in new homes and commercial buildings—technologies that reduce emissions but don't come cheap. The New York Times looks at how the new requirements will affect the housing market and homeownership in an already pricey state. [The New York Times]
Researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Tokyo are working to deliver electricity through air, "potentially turning entire buildings into wireless charging zones," according to a U-M press release. In their recently published study, the researchers wirelessly delivered 50 watts of power using magnetic fields. [University of Michigan]
Do you find inspiration in Midcentury Modern design? Browse these catalogs filled with designs from the post–World War II era style in the Building Technology Heritage Library's collection of 19th- and 20th-century catalogs. [ARCHITECT]
The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum has announced the nine winners of its 2021 National Design Awards. The honorees include InVert Self-Shading Window (an ARCHITECT 2020 R+D Awards winner) by Doris Sung, Assoc. AIA, the New Orleans–based nonprofit Colloqate Design, and the Chicago-based firm Ross Barney Architects. [ARCHITECT]
