LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — 3D printing technology is now being used to build a home for the first time in Kentucky.
The technology could address both the state's housing shortage and the need for climate-resistant homes.
Somerset Community College students, including engineering student Abby Burdette, are gaining hands-on experience with this groundbreaking project.
"Somebody tells you you're 3D printing a house, but how do you do that? Is that even possible?" Burdette said of her initial response.
The initiative, known as 'Floodbuster 1,' is led by SCC professor Eric Wooldridge. It responds to the need for housing that can withstand severe weather conditions, highlighted by the 2022 floods and the recent deadly EF-4 tornado in southeastern Kentucky.
The 3D printed home uses a large concrete printer to build layer-by-layer based on a 3D model.
Engineers said this method results in strong, fast, and cost-effective construction.
Ryan Cox of Alquist 3D noted that the house can be completed in just 40 hours at one-third of the cost of traditional building methods.
"The idea is that we're just training that same workforce to do a different type of job," Cox said.
Burdette is hopeful that the technology could eventually make a difference for the Commonwealth's most vulnerable.
"It's Kentucky, there's so many people that go without or need and just to be able to be apart of something that is trying to bring this kind of technology to those communities to help them out is really special," she said.
While widespread use of this technology in Kentucky may take time, this initiative marks a the start of a potentially life-saving trend.
