04-03-2025
Austin's Icon to build houses at Mueller
Austin 3D printing construction company Icon will break ground this summer on a dozen homes in the Mueller development.
Why it matters: The project in the mixed-income, mixed-use community at the old airport site is part of the company's effort to show it can provide homes at a range of price options.
Zoom in: The homes, designed by the firm Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, known chiefly in Austin for its stylish house, shop and restaurant constructions, will range from 650 to 2,400 square feet across one to three bedrooms.
Some of the 1-bedroom homes will be offered through the Mueller Affordable Homes Program, which requires developers to make about a quarter of homes in the community available to households that earn 80% or less than the median family income.
Follow the money: The company told Axios it expects the homes to range in price from the mid-$300,000s to $1.3 million, with the first owners able to move in by year's end.
What they're saying: The 3D-printed walls of Icon homes provide higher levels of insulation, which decrease the home's temperature fluctuations in the summer and winter, Sergio Negrete, principal and senior vice president of Arterra Development, said in a statement.
Arterra manages Mueller's redevelopment on behalf of Catellus Development Corp.
The homes "help reflect the overall goals of the community, including affordability, diversity and sustainability," Negrete said.
Zoom out: The company debuted its first 3D-printed, permitted house at SXSW in 2018.
In the years since, it has built homes in Wimberley and Georgetown, an arts pavilion at the Long Center and military barracks in West Texas.
Yes, but: Icon has endured some turbulence lately.
In January, it announced it was laying off more than 100 people, with a spokesperson saying the move was part of a decision to "focus on our highest priorities," including a new robotic printing system.
The bottom line: The cutting-edge construction firm, which has partnered with NASA for ways to build on the moon, could soon be bringing its characteristic wavy walls to a central Austin property next door.
"We've been looking to collaborate with Michael Hsu for years and are excited to bring to life the elevated designs," Jared Kuhn, vice president of real estate development and sales at Icon, said in a statement.
