Icon, an Austin-based 3D-printing construction firm, was badly damaged in a fire on Friday.
At 3 a.m., firefighters responded a fire at Yard. The Yard is a mixed-use community on East St. Elmo Road near Ben White Boulevard in South Austin. Along with the St. Elmo Brewing Company and Spokesman Coffee Roasters, the Icon facility is located in the development, as well as the Austin Winery and a Tesla showroom.
Austin-Travis County EMS nurses were leaving an Austin hospital at the beginning of Friday when they saw smoke and alerted firefighters. Stephen Truesdell, a division head for the Austin Fire Department, stated that some had noticed smoke and alerted firefighters.
More:Austin startup Icon plans to develop 3D-printed homes for the area
Truesdell stated that the building had been in flames for quite some time. He said that the facility consisted of two warehouses side-by-side, one being used as an office, and the other as a printing plant.
According to the Fire Department, although the facility was in renovation at the time of the fire, printing equipment was still present.
Nearly six hundred firefighters battled the blaze. Austin-Travis County EMS was also on the scene. Truesdell stated that firefighters initially struggled to control the fire because it was so large.
More:Icon in Austin’s latest project will allow NASA to simulate life on Mars.
The incident resulted in no injuries, but it is not known what the cost of damage will be. Truesdell explained that firefighters worked Friday to find the cause and calculate the damage.
Friday’s representatives at Icon said that they do not anticipate any significant changes in the company’s future activities.
Jason Ballard co-founded Icon and displayed its 3D-printed home at South by Southwest 2018. It has since used Vulcan 3D-printing technology for dozens more homes and structures, including barracks in Texas Military Department. And it is working with NASA to create habitats on the moon.
Icon recently announced plans for its 3D printers in order to build 100 houses at Wolf Ranch by Hillwood in Georgetown. Hillwood is a master-planned community. According to the company, the community will be the largest-scale 3D-printed housing project in the United States.
3D printing is becoming increasingly popular to create structures. This technology uses computer-aided design to create three-dimensional objects using a layering process. This process can be used with a variety materials. Icon uses Lavacrete, a proprietary cementitious-based product.
Ballard has said he sees 3D printing as having the potential to revolutionize the way homes are built by offering versatility, range, speed and lower costs than traditional construction. According to Icon each giant robot printer can print approximately one house per day.
