MAINE PUBLIC • October 10, 2023
According to housing forecasts, Maine needs more than 84,000 homes of all kinds by the end of the decade. And state officials are hopeful that the University of Maine's bio-based 3D printed home will play a role in easing the housing crunch. The 600 square foot modular home, unveiled last fall at the Orono campus, was printed with wood residuals. And it has successfully survived its first Maine winter. The university will break ground next summer on a new factory that will train engineers and scale up 3D printing production. The materials needed to print the first home cost $40,000, not including the appliances inside.