3D-printed community by BIG, Icon, and Lennar
Courtesy Icon 3D-printed community by BIG, Icon, and Lennar

In Austin, Texas, Lennar and Icon Technology are planning to break ground on what the latter says will be the world's largest yet neighborhood of 3D-printed homes next year. The Bjarke Ingels Group will co-design the residences.

Lennar, one of the country's largest homebuilders, and Icon, a construction technologies company specializing in large-scale 3D printing, say their partnership is a “watershed moment” for community-scale development, which will play a pivotal role in helping alleviate the housing crisis. (According to research by Realtor.com, as of June 2021, the U.S. is facing a housing gap of more than 5.24 million homes, up from 3.84 million homes in 2019.)

courtesy ICON

“Icon exists as a response to the global housing crisis and to put our technology in service to the world,” says Icon co-founder and chief executive officer Jason Ballard. “Construction-scale 3D printing not only delivers higher-quality homes faster and more affordably, but fleets of printers can change the way that entire communities are built for the better.”

Icon says its Vulture construction system deploys robotics and alternative materials in the high-volume production of houses. The units are as large as 3,000 square feet, abide by International Building Code standards, and are said to last longer than concrete masonry unit-constructed homes. [ICON]

A detail from LEGO's 'Building Instructions for a Better World'
courtesy Lego A detail from LEGO's 'Building Instructions for a Better World'

In 10 simple and illustrated steps, children can advise policymakers attending COP26 on how to create a better world. LEGO has created an instruction manual with climate commands such as “Leaders, change your own behavior and set examples” and “Reduce emissions,” compiled from international research and workshops with more than 6,000 children, ages 8-18. The booklet will be handed out to delegates at the U.N. climate summit, which kicks off Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland. [The Guardian]

In other COP26 news, the American Institute of Architects is sending its first-ever official delegation to the conference. [ARCHITECT]

courtesy Unsplash

“Where L.A. goes, so goes the state, so goes the country.” Los Angeles has committed to being carbon-free by 2035, a decade earlier than planned for the country’s second largest city. The ambitious goal, however, faces many obstacles: car culture and union opposition, to name a couple. [The Washington Post]

In the recent study “Great Minds Don’t Think Alike,” co-authors Scottish Widows, a life insurance and pensions company, and Bath School of Management associate professor Johanne Grosvold find that companies can become stuck in “group think.” They advocate for companies to cultivate cognitive diversity—different perspectives and ways of thinking—to achieve long-term success. [Phys.org]

Adobe Photoshop is entering the NFT (non-fungible token) arena by the end of the month. The software developer announced it is building into its photo-editing product a system to prevent art theft. Content Credentials will provide an authentication certificate for compatible NFT marketplaces. [The Verge]

The National Building Museum, in Washington, has launched Climate ABC, a program series focused on action, building, and community to drive progress on climate change. [ARCHITECT]

L to r: Designing Justice + Designing Spaces architectural associate Shelley Davis Roberts and co-founder and design director Deanna Van Buren
Emily Hagopian L to r: Designing Justice + Designing Spaces architectural associate Shelley Davis Roberts and co-founder and design director Deanna Van Buren

Before and after Katerra, architecture and design firms still see promise in vertical integration to improve efficiencies and creative control while reducing financial risk. [ARCHITECT]

A wood substitute by HempWood
courtesy HempWood A wood substitute by HempWood

ARCHITECT columnist Blaine Brownell, FAIA, argues that hemp might become the next big thing—since mass timber—in construction. [ARCHITECT]