JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville-based company said its new portable 3D construction robot could help lower homebuilding costs and make housing more affordable across Northeast Florida.
Forge 3D Studios has spent the last two years developing what it said is the first portable 3D construction robot, GOLEM, built in Jacksonville. The team recently used the machine to print a 600-square-foot prototype home made entirely of concrete.
“It’s something I take a lot of pride in,” Bryce Pfanenstiel, GOLEM’s co-founder said. “We’re trying to lead on the front and make sure people are comfortable with us 3D printing houses.”
Pfanenstiel has worked in 3D printing for the last decade. He said the GOLEM robot — which weighs about 150 pounds and can fit in the back of a pickup truck — can print a structure’s concrete walls in as little as 16 hours. The portable design allows the robot to move easily between job sites, reducing setup costs and making the technology more accessible for smaller builders.
Co-founder Kathryn McAvoy said the company’s mission is to use the technology to address Jacksonville’s rising housing costs.
“We started this project because we know that Jacksonville has an affordable housing crisis,” McAvoy said. “Now what we need is somebody in Jacksonville that’s willing to take the risk to put a house up with it.”
McAvoy says 3D printed homes can be 30 to 40 percent cheaper than traditional builds while being more energy-efficient, hurricane-resistant and fire-resistant. The team hopes to partner with local leaders or developers to build the first 3D printed home in Jacksonville.
“This is a technology that Jacksonville needs to get behind,” McAvoy said. “Once they embrace it, I think people will appreciate that we can build a better house for less money, faster than a traditional build.”
Across the country, 3D printed housing has already begun to take off. In Texas, the Wolf Ranch community is home to what’s considered the world’s largest 3D printed housing development, 100 homes built by Lennar and ICON.
GOLEM’s founders say their goal is to bring that same innovation to Jacksonville, starting with one home.
“We need a 3D printed home in Jacksonville,” McAvoy said. “When that happens, I’ll feel like we’ve really made a difference.”