Architecture firm Logan Architecture designed the East 17th residences, the first 3D-printed residences for sale in the United States.
The East 17th residences development by 3Strands are the first 3D-printed homes for sale in the United States built using ICON’s proprietary technology and advanced materials, the 21st-century equivalent of readily available stone.
Based in Austin, Texas, the architectural design of the residences is a concerto between the stereotomic stone-like nature of the 3D-printed concrete building bases and the tectonic, traditionally framed upper volumes supported by their bases.
The East 17th Residences are a clustering of four homes nestled into the urban fabric of east Austin with shared site amenities and careful consideration given to public versus private space and community incubation.
This duality and the geometry informed by it is inspired by the Neolithic Village of Skara Brae located on Orkney Island in the Northern Isles of Scotland. Skara Brae was built in 3180 BC and was actively occupied for more than 600 years.
Similar to the stone-like nature of the East 17th residences, the prehistoric inhabitants of Skara Brae built furniture, lockable doors, sealed food storage, and indoor restrooms, all out of stone… a readily available material. These builders used the most advanced technology available at the time, stone tools, to incisively construct the homes they needed, in precisely the shape they required and were otherwise unconstrained by preconceived typological ideals or geometric constraints. The tectonic roof structures of the homes are thought to have been built with available lightweight thatch, driftwood, and whale bone, as very limited timber was available.
Like Skara Brae and the meticulous stone accomplishments of its builders, the design of the East 17th Residences is pushing the envelope for the capability of concrete and exploring the frontiers of what shape the new stone age should take.
