Tom Evans I Contributing Editor NEXT DOORS { ahead of the curve } Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona builds its first 3D-printed house in the U.S. A ‘MOONSHOT’ FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING Jason Barlow (right), president and CEO of Habitat Central Arizona, said 3D-printed houses can be “a real game-changer. Think of the implications.” OCTOBER 2021 | 58 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA OCTOBER 2021 | 58 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA

I n or around the year 1440, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. It was one of the tickets out of the Dark Ages for humanity, allowing for the mass production of books for the first time and enabling people to expand their ability to learn rapidly. It was a neat trick, and it changed literally everything — it even resulted in the article you see before you. But it was a two-dimensional trick. At the end of the day, everything printed on a printing press is flat, at least for the most part. This changed a bit around 1945, when the idea for what’s now known as 3D printing was spelled out in a short story by a guy named Murray Leinster. But it was concept-only until 1971, when another Johannes — Johannes F. Gottwald — patented something called the Liquid Metal Recorder, designed to take liquid metal and reshape it into an object by spraying it. The concept has grown and evolved, but now 3D printing is pretty widely understood. The big question is, what can be done with it? How can it change the world? Here in the Valley, Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona may have just come up with an answer, one way 3D printing could result in a massive change for the better. They’re working on what will become the first primarily 3D-printed house built by the organization in the United States. Designed by Mark Candelaria (shown here) and the team at Candelaria Design, the single-story home in Tempe is Habitat Central Arizona’s attempt at a scalable, cost- effective homeownership solution. FRONTDOORS MEDIA | 59 | OCTOBER 2021 Photos by Scott Foust and Habitat for Humanity