Virginia Tech to acquire COBOD construction 3D printer
For housing technology research at Virginia Housing
Dr. Andrew McCoy and Dr. Philip Agee have been awarded a $500,000, 1-year grant by Virginia Housing (formerly VHDA) to design and produce Virginia’s first 3D printed concrete home. The Virginia Tech researchers will study appropriate markets for this innovative technology and engage K-12, college and professionals in new curriculum around construction 3D printing processes.
Through the Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech, Drs. McCoy and Agee will partner with Alchemy Community Transformations of Iowa, Better Housing Coalition of Richmond and Century Concrete (partnering with our board member Preston White) of Virginia Beach to develop an affordable housing unit with the goal of making it scalable across Virginia’s communities and beyond.
Besides the scalability of 3D printing, the team will explore design and constructability challenges and opportunities for integrating on-site and off-site building services systems (e.g., heating, cooling, ventilation and domestic water heating). They will be using technology from Danish company COBOD, specifically, the BOD 2 system, whose modular printing configuration can adapt to any site and any design.
