Bringing houses to people in need using a 3-D printer By PBS News Hour, adapted by Newsela staff on 05.03.18 Word Count 696 Level 840L This 3-D printed home is a petite replica of the houses that will soon shelter vulnerable people throughout the world. Photo: New Story and ICON More than 1 billion people around the world are homeless, or close to it. Now, a San Francisco company has set out to tackle this terrible problem in a new way. It will use 3-D printers to print out new homes. A normal printer prints words or pictures onto flat sheets of paper. A 3-D printer reads a design from a computer program. It makes a model from the bottom up, one layer at a time. Many materials can be used in a 3-D printer. The materials are heated. This makes them soft enough to mold into any shape. When the material cools, there is a solid item. It is in the shape shown in the original design. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
The first of the new 3-D printed houses was on display in March in Austin, Texas. The 400- square-foot house has a rounded porch, wood-paneled ceilings and large windows along its front. It is cozy and has a specially designed bedroom, bathroom and living room. New Story and ICON are the two companies behind the home. A Village Of 3-D Homes The home in Austin "is just the first step," ICON's co-founder Evan Loomis said. "Later this year, we want to build about 10 homes in El Salvador." By early 2019, the two companies plan to build an entire village of more than 100 homes. New Story has already constructed more than 850 homes in Haiti, El Salvador and Bolivia. These were built without the use of 3-D printers. However, each home was taking too much time to build, given the great need for housing. Alexandria Lafci, New Story's co-founder, felt things needed to move more quickly. "The time is now to help these families in need." That is where ICON came in. Building With The Vulcan Made Perfect Sense Nearly a year ago, a friend introduced the heads of both companies. They quickly realized that joining forces made sense. One company was looking for new ways to quickly build homes. The other had the perfect tool to construct buildings in a matter of hours. That tool is the Vulcan 3-D printer. ICON's Vulcan printer works quickly and smoothly. Only a small number of people are needed to run it. ICON decided to use concrete to build the homes because it is a strong and stable material. However, concrete takes time to harden. So to speed things up, the company developed its own special concrete mixture. This mixture hardens more quickly than usual. The Vulcan can build houses in less than 24 hours. The homes range in size from 600 to 800 square feet. They are just large enough for a three- to four-person family. Not everyone is completely impressed with the idea of 3-D printed homes, however. Doors And Windows Get A Bit Tricky Lawrence Sass is an architect and an expert on a computer-aided building. The new attempt is a good start, he said. However, he warned that 3-D printing might not be the best tool for creating safe homes. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
The 3-D printers are good for making some things, he said. However, they are terrible for making larger objects. A 3-D printer creates things by layering material, and those layers can easily come apart. A 3-D-printed home would have no chance of surviving an earthquake, Sass said. "It would be like stacking up paper and watching the pages slide back and forth." Sass is also worried about the new homes' windows and doors. The 3-D printers lay out the frame of a home first, so someone has to go in and add the smaller parts. Sass worries doors or windows will not be attached firmly enough to stand up to storms. Home Safety Is Important ICON and New Story say they are working hard to make their homes as safe and long-lasting as possible. They plan to make whatever changes are needed. After the first homes in El Salvador are built, families will be given a chance to suggest improvements. Their suggestions will then be programmed into the Vulcan. Once everything has been perfected, the technology will be shared with other companies, Lafci said. By working together, we will be able to greatly reduce homelessness, she said. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
Quiz 1 One MAIN idea of the article is that New Story and ICON partnered to build homes for families in need. What is another MAIN idea of the article? New Story and ICON have reached out to families in El Salvador for ideas on how to improve the 3-D printing of homes. New Story and ICON have successfully finished the first 3-D- printed home in Austin, Texas. New Story and ICON have more work to do to make sure their 3-D- printed homes are safe enough to live in. New Story and ICON have already built more than 850 3-D-printed homes in Haiti, El Salvador and Bolivia. 2 Read the first paragraph of the article. More than 1 billion people around the world are homeless, or close to it. Now, a San Francisco company has set out to tackle this terrible problem in a new way. It will use 3-D printers to print out new homes. How does this paragraph support the MAIN idea of the article? It explains why so many people are homeless around the world. It explains why a company decided to make homes using 3-D printers. It explains which areas are the hardest to find housing. It explains where most 3-D-printed homes will be located. 3 Why did Alexandria Lafci and Evan Loomis decide to work together? Loomis needed a place to live and Lafci needed a person to test out the first 3-Dprinted home. Lafci needed a place to live and Loomis needed a person to test out the first 3-Dprinted home. Loomis needed a way to build homes more quickly and Lafci had a tool that could accomplish that goal. Lafci needed a way to build homes more quickly and Loomis had a tool that could accomplish that goal. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
4 WHY does Lawrence Sass feel worried about 3-D-printed homes? He is worried that the homes will not be able to withstand earthquakes and storms. He is worried that many people who are homeless will not be able to afford the homes. He is worried that New Story and ICON will not be able to make the homes fast enough. He is worried that the Vulcan will not be able to handle the heavy concrete the homes need. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5