• The 1,200 SF (112 m2) house was 3D printed with locally made real concrete mixed on site and erected in the area of Redding, Northern California which lost 1,100 houses in the 2018 wildfires
• The one-story house is 8 feet tall, with cavity concrete walls each of 50 mm and was permitted according to the strict California Building Code
• The cost of the concrete for the walls was less than $5,000 USD and it took 30 hours to print
• The house design will be replicated in numerous new 3D printed houses to be made by Emergent3D in Northern California

Approximately 200 miles north of San Francisco, surrounded by national forests lies Redding with its population of 100,000. Not one of California’s most famous cities was affected by the numerous forest fires that hit the city. Redding is experiencing more than 100 fires per year. The Redding area got hit the worst in 2018 in the Carr fire, where 1,100 houses were lost to the fires, 270 of these directly in the town of Redding. Neighboring Paradise lost more than 11,000 homes, causing damages of 16 billion USD and 85 fatalities.

But, the days of wildfires devastating thousands of homes in Northern California might soon be over. Enterprise Park in Redding recently witnessed the erection of the first 3D printed house in California made with real concrete, far more resilient to wildfires than stick build. The concrete was made using the D.fab concrete solution developed by COBOD and CEMEX, one of the world’s largest concrete manufacturers. The house with its 1,200 SF was funded by the City of Redding to help bring the exciting new technology, that can help solve the California housing crisis. The house was made by Emergent3D, a local 3D printing contractor, using a BOD2 3D construction printer from the market leader COBOD. Matthew Gile, founder, and chief visionary of Emergent3D said: “Our Wildfire Restoration House in Redding opens up new opportunities for fire-resilient affordable housing in Northern California. Compared to stick build, 3D concrete printing technology not only offers more durable homes but opens up for greater design possibilities and more energy and material-efficient projects”.

The house with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and an open floor plan was designed by architect Benjamin Albertson for maximum convenience of residents. It has large double windows that look out the back of the home to retain seclusion while letting in maximum natural light and views that are provided through floor-to-ceiling glass in an open living space. Also, the construction features organically curved walls in the center of the house to define the entryways and add visual appeal and distinctiveness to the building.

Emergent3D is already busy 3D printing their next house in Redding, a copy of the first house in Enterprise Park. As the first design and the house is already permitted by the relatively strict California Building Code, using the same design again enables Emergent3D to move ahead faster. In total Emergent3D is planning on printing the same design for 7 houses, including in the Californian town of Paradise, that got hit the worst by the wildfires with the loss of more than 11,000 houses.