Some of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) top leaders visited the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) to showcase and demonstrate 3-D printing, one of the creative methods HUD is attempting to increase the supply of affordable homes.
“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.”
Solomon Greene, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, Richard Monocchio, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, and Northwest Regional Administrator Andrew Lofton joined Pat Pitney, President of UAF, at the event to present this novel potential approach to building affordable homes.
“This partnership is instrumental towards our work to invest in new, innovative technologies to address Alaska’s housing challenges,” Pitney said. “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.”
In May 2023, HUD awarded the City of Nome, Alaska, a $600,000 Research Partnership grant, which assisted in funding this vital effort. The project team will carry out the design, engineering, materials research, development, planning, and analysis necessary to 3-D print high-quality, reasonably priced, energy-efficient, and sustainable housing for communities in Alaska’s subarctic regions.
Partners in the project include Penn State University and Xtreme Habitats Institute (XHI). The University of Alaska’s researchers and students in Fairbanks will keep working on developing, testing, and designing protocols for the mobile printer that will be relocated to Nome. The crew will build and assess a prototype home in Nome using the mobile 3-D printer that was specifically engineered for the climate.
“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 Andrew Lofton, HUD Northwest Regional Administrator. “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.”
Using locally available, sustainable resources for building materials is one of the main objectives of this construction project. In addition to HUD and the City of Nome, the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, XHab 3D, Inc., and Fairbanks Materials, Inc. are other important partners on this project.
HUD officials traversed the nation in April as part of the “Road to Innovation” tour, which was organized by the Office of Policy Development & Research (PD&R). The goal of the tour was to highlight instances of investments made in cutting-edge construction methods that increase the availability of affordable housing. After springtime visits to Detroit, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, New York City, and Jersey City, Fairbanks is the seventh destination of the current tour.
In addition to investing in innovation to increase the supply of houses, HUD has revised HUD regulations and engaged with private sector innovators and entrepreneurs to unleash and scale housing innovation under the Biden-Harris Administration. Thousands of people attended the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2024 Innovative Housing Showcase at the National Mall to see amazing exhibitors displaying their own examples of creative housing from local areas. Acting Secretary Todman unveiled a new initiative at the Showcase to support prefabricated home communities, which are an important and cost-effective choice for a lot of families.
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