3D printed fire-resistant home being built in Los Angeles County

Construction is underway on a fire-resistant accessory dwelling unit in eastern Los Angeles County that is being built by a 3D printing robotic arm.

The structure is being built in Walnut in collaboration with the City and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, as well as two construction companies. Builders say it’s the first structure of its kind to be built in California.

Early construction on the ADU began in early February with foundation, plumbing and sewage work. But on Wednesday, a 3D printing robotic arm by RIC Technology was put to work laying the concrete of the exterior walls.

The process is expected to take about 20 days.

The 2-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom structure will be entirely fire-resistant with concrete walls and a light-steel roof. The metal roof differentiates this project from others like it because most 3D-printed homes utilize a wooden roof, according to a press release from RIC Technology.

“The ADU will be built without a single piece of wood or nail; no ‘fuel’ on the main structure,” said Aaron Liu, CEO of Builtech Construction Group, the general contractor on the project. “So we significantly minimize the likelihood of fire entering the home, reducing its susceptibility to fire.”

Liu was certified by the National Fire Protection Association as a wildfire mitigation specialist. He says he’s been actively researching how to reduce a home’s vulnerability to fire.

“During wildfires, heat and oxygen, two of the three components of the ‘fire triangle,’ are beyond control,” he said. “Therefore, our focus is on eliminating ‘fuel,’ the unique architectural design and building materials in this case.”

Philips and Constance, the Walnut couple whose backyard will be home to the new structure, say they are “eager” to contribute to wildfire protection.

Permits for construction were pulled in February and the builders hope their new ADU, when completed, will lay the groundwork for the unique home-building technology to be deployed elsewhere across California.

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“This project can be the beginning of something meaningful – a wider application of 3D printed homes that are less susceptible to fires,” said RIC Technology CEO Ziyou Xu.

Wildfires are responsible for the destruction of hundreds of thousands of homes in California in recent years, and several big-name insurance companies have stopped insuring homes in fire-prone areas or left the state entirely.

Officials for RIC Technology say they are excited to continue working with like-minded companies like Liu’s to build more “non-combustible, fire-resistant homes” in these wildfire-prone areas.

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