New Story is a non-profit organisation dedicated to finding solutions to homelessness. Together with the design studio Fuseproject and homebuilding technology company ICON, they plan to build a 3D-printed community in a secret location in Latin America.
The United Nations stated in 2019, that population growth and urbanisation are moving faster than the construction of adequate and affordable housing. The latest report estimates that one in four urban residents live in slum-like conditions. In 2016, Alioune Badiane, the UN-Habitat Director of Programmes, reported “1.6 billion people do not have access to adequate shelter around the world. One billion of those live in informal settlements and about one in four people live in conditions that harm their health, safety, prosperity and opportunities.”
New Story is striving to combat these statistics by working with innovative partners such as ICON and Fuseproject, to develop and share sustainable, cost effective and long term solutions. The idea is to use 3D printing to quickly build affordable and high-quality housing. Each house takes just under 24 hours to print, the total cost per unit is still being determined but is approximately $6000 USD, the team are working to further reduce the time and cost.
Each home will occupy 120 square meters, with the interior space of each measuring 55 square meters. The design incorporates a covered outdoor kitchen, a dining room and garden space. The concrete walls will be exposed inside and out, with a choice of different colour tints. A large curved roof extends at the front and back to protect the structure against heavy rainfall. The foundations will be enhanced and wall construction reinforced, to give resistance against seismic activity. Perforated concrete blocks will create natural ventilation throughout the structure.
ICON’s large scale portable 3D printer, the Vulcan II, has been designed to produce nearly no waste and function under difficult circumstances, such as with limited water and power.
The project is due to be delivered in 2019.
Previous Projects
Since 2015, New Story has worked in four countries: Bolivia, Haiti, Mexico and El Salvador. They have built 16 communities, funded over 2200 homes and had an effect on an estimated 11,000 lives. The previous projects have used more conventional construction methods and developed a code of best practice and methodology that they can further develop into the future.
Haiti
The first project New Story worked on was in Haiti. The 2010 earthquake, which measured a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale, destroyed many homes and communities. Families were moved to Leveque, and given temporary shelter in tents. For close to six years, families were still living in these shelters, the area had become a tent slum. Health and safety conditions were poor, education and opportunities were very limited. In less than 12 months New Story raised enough funds to build 151 homes. They rehomed every family that was inhabiting the slum. Below you can see photographs of the tent slum, followed by photographs of the homes that were created by New Story’s initiative.
El Salvador
Following their success in Haiti, the team moved their focus to El Salvador, Bolivia and Mexico. In El Salvador they built 4 communities, 504 homes and changed 2019 lives.
The Process
Once the locations are identified, New Story work with a local partner organisation based within the country. The partners have an intimate knowledge of the communities, and work with local contractors to develop the designs and build the homes, using locally hired labour. They hire workers from the community to construct each home. Many of the builders are working in construction for the first time, so they are learning a valuable trade in addition to providing for their family. In addition to video proof, New Story performs random audits to ensure family information is legitimate and that families have moved into their designated home. Audits are also carried out in-person.
While all families within the community may be currently living in poor conditions and in need of housing, some families, for example, live more directly in the path of a landslide or generally are at a higher risk, this makes them a priority. Outside of these higher-risk families, the funding order is chosen randomly.
Every family owns their new home and holds the deed to their plot of land. This ownership ensures families will have safety and security for generations to come. New Story fund the construction and provide connections to plumbing and electricity in each home. They then bring in other non-profit partners if there are remaining community needs, such as a requirement for a community centre or agricultural training.
During the design process the team work closely with each family. Special requirements made by families and communities have ranged from placing large windows in the front of each home to serve as a shop front for a business, or moving the community to account for agricultural needs.
The homes are built to high safety and structural standards, to account for the likely natural disasters in the area. The projects each exceed local building codes and use top structural engineers for the testing process. The Lavacrete material used in the 3D printed structures, is three times stronger than average concrete, so the homes will be more capable of withstanding storms, tremors and other local environmental factors.
How To Get Involved
There are many ways to support New Story’s projects. You can make a donation or become a partner – build with them or use their tools. Their field partners range in expertise from water, to playgrounds, to education, to homebuilding.
Further Information
New Story is a not for profit organisation that aims to pioneer solutions for global homelessness.
www.newstorycharity.org
I: @newstorycharity T: @newstorycharity FB: /newstorycharity
ICON is a construction technology company based in Austin, Texas in the USA.
www.iconbuild.com
I: @icon3dtech T: @icon3dtech
Fuseproject was founded in 1999 by designer Yves Béhar and is based in San Francisco, USA.
www.fuseproject.com
I: @fuseprojectsf T: @fuseproject FB: /fuseproject
Main article image shows an artist impression of the 3D printed housing project that will be built in a secret location in Latin America by New Story in collaboration with Fuseproject and ICON ©New Story
