“The challenge was learning and understanding the capabilities and limitations of the 3D-printing technology,” Candelaria said. “Many of the ideas and expectations we had during design had to be modified during the construction due to temperature and climate factors, but the team always was able to pivot, and the result is amazing.” The big question for the Habitat folks is Economics 101 — is this process scalable? It’s a question they’re getting a lot from people across the country and the world as they see if this is truly a game-changing model. “We’re going to keep looking at it,” said Dusty Parsons, director of marketing and media for Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. “As you can imagine, we’re getting phone calls from pretty much everywhere to talk about what it takes to do one of these. We’re hoping that the industry will run with this concept and improve upon it.” The 3D-construction process initially ran into a minor snag — there was nothing in the City of Tempe’s building codes about constructing a house this way. The Habitat team had to work with the city to modify guidelines to make the 3D-printing model possible, something that will likely have to be repeated in other communities. But the potential is there, and Barlow is confident that the vision can be expanded over time. “We really like the design flexibility of this technology,” he said. “It has allowed us to look at our layouts and designs in new ways. Imagine a street of two-story or even three-story homes, each unique and perfect for the family that will live there. So, a cookie-cutter approach, but not cookie-cutter results.” To learn more, go to habitatcaz.org . NEXT DOORS { ahead of the curve } OCTOBER 2021 | 62 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA OCTOBER 2021 | 62 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA The single-family home is built on a lot purchased from the City of Tempe.

Habitat’s 3-D printed house is not a demonstration home – a Habitat-selected family will live there.