Santa Barbara County, CA is Piloting 3D Printed Affordable Housing

Santa Barbara County, CA, is using a $5.3 million grant to pilot the construction of climate-resilient affordable housing. 

Housing leaders in Santa Barbara County, CA, are piloting 3D printing technology to test the viability of mass-produced, climate-resilient, affordable housing projects. The pilot is being financed by a $5.3 million state grant aimed at tackling housing and climate challenges. The main objective is to test not only the new technology but also the viability of certain partnership models with local NGOs.

According to Route Fifty:

“We liked the 3D printing because it seems very flexible,” said Jennifer McGovern, president and CEO of the Housing Trust Fund of Santa Barbara County, a co-sponsor for the project. “It could do a variety of types of housing, everything from tiny homes to accessory dwelling units and potentially multifamily.”

Homes in Santa Barbara County, CA, average just under $900,000, and in the region where the 3D-printed home will be located, homes average $1.5 million. County officials hope to see the 3D-printed home cost roughly half the cost, but many details, such as material costs, are yet to be finalized. Unlike other similar projects happening around the state, the concrete will be a specialized climate-resilient variety designed for an environment with increased heat and wildfires.

Read the full story. 

MACo Winter Conference

At the 2023 MACo Winter Conference general session, “Housing – What’s New, What’s Next,” county leaders will hear from the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning on what the state and counties can do to address the housing crisis.

MACo’s Winter Conference, “Eye of the Storm,” is scheduled for December 6-8, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Hotel in Cambridge, MD. More information can be found on our conference website.

Learn more about MACo’s Winter Conference: