Barberio Colella Architetti
    First Stone exterior render – New Orleans garden

    3D Printed Design

    First Stone – 3D-printed housing units in New Orleans

    Hurricane-proof houses costing $99,000, 3D-printed for those who cannot secure a traditional mortgage.

    2024 · New Orleans, Louisiana, USA · Residential · 3D Printed Design

    The first stone for those who cannot afford their first home

    First Stone stems from a practical question: is it possible to build a decent, hurricane-resistant, energy-efficient and affordable home for young couples and single people who cannot access traditional mortgages? The New Orleans area in Louisiana, repeatedly hit by extreme weather events and marked by deep inequalities in access to housing, is the ideal setting to test this hypothesis. The project, developed by Barberio Colella Architetti with Angelo Figliola, proposes a system of 3D-printed housing units with a target cost of $99,000 per base unit.

    The design challenge was threefold: to keep costs down without sacrificing spatial quality, to withstand hurricane-force winds without resorting to heavy superstructures, and to apply genuine (not merely decorative) bioclimatic design principles in a humid subtropical climate. The solution is a compact volume with a north-south oriented plan and an aerodynamic shape, tested using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). The long sides face north and south, sheltered respectively by adjacent dwellings and from the rain; the short sides, facing east and west, feature large glazed openings towards the private garden, allowing for cross-ventilation (living area to the east, sleeping area to the west). Generous overhangs provide protection from direct sunlight and driving rain.

    The base unit measures 45 m² (484 sq ft) and contains everything necessary for a single person or a couple. The system is designed to be doubled in size: by adding a second module, the floor area increases to 90 m² (968 sq ft) with 2–3 bedrooms. The photovoltaic panels on the roof power shared batteries as part of an energy community: each unit contributes to the neighbourhood’s electricity grid, reducing individual costs and increasing the system’s resilience. 3D-printed materials reduce construction times and site waste compared to traditional timber construction typical of US residential building.

    The masterplan envisages a clustered layout where the units are arranged to form shared spaces and pedestrian paths, fostering community life. First Stone is not an emergency housing project: it is a proposal for a new neighbourhood model where construction technology (3D printing) serves a specific social objective, and where sustainability is not an additional luxury but a requirement integrated into the base cost of $99,000.

    First Stone exterior render – New Orleans garden
    1 / 9
    Exterior render: the 3D-printed housing units overlook shared gardens with ponds and tropical vegetation, beneath the undulating timber roof.

    Technical specifications

    Location
    New Orleans area, Louisiana, USA
    Year
    2024
    Client
    Research project
    Typology
    3D-printed residential housing
    Area
    45 m² (base unit) / 90 m² (double unit)
    Status
    Concept
    Designers
    M. Barberio, M. Colella, A. Figliola
    Target cost
    99,000 USD per base unit
    Main materials
    3D-printed concrete (ICON printer) for the walls; CNC-cut LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) for the roof and joinery; photovoltaic panels on the roof; shared storage batteries (energy community)

    Is it possible to build a decent, hurricane-resistant home for less than $100,000?

    In coastal areas of the United States, and particularly in the New Orleans region, the cost of housing is a structural barrier for young couples and single people on average incomes. Traditional construction using timber frames is vulnerable to hurricanes and requires expensive insurance. Existing hurricane-proof homes are out of reach for those unable to secure a traditional mortgage. First Stone offers a third way: 3D printing reduces construction costs by eliminating formwork and reducing the need for skilled labour, whilst the aerodynamic shape (tested using CFD simulation) provides resistance to hurricane-force winds without the need for costly superstructures.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    First Stone’s hurricane resistance is based on three factors: the aerodynamic shape of the structure, tested using CFD simulations to reduce wind pressure on surfaces; the mass of the 3D-printed walls, significantly greater than that of traditional timber walls (frame construction), which increases resistance to impacts and dynamic pressures; and the north-south orientation, which exposes the shorter (and more resistant) side to the prevailing direction of hurricanes. The absence of joints typical of timber construction eliminates one of the most common weaknesses in traditional homes in the region.

    The target cost of $99,000 for the 45 m² base unit is achieved through a combination of four factors: (1) reduced labour, 3D printing of the walls requires 2–3 operators rather than an entire team of carpenters; (2) elimination of formwork, the mortar is self-supporting during printing; (3) compact design, no space is wasted; every square metre is functional; (4) energy community, shared batteries reduce the cost per unit compared to individual systems. The price does not include the land but does include the complete structure, services and photovoltaic systems.

    An energy community is a system in which multiple housing units share the production and storage of renewable energy. In First Stone, each unit has photovoltaic panels on the roof, but the storage batteries are shared at neighbourhood level. This means that excess energy produced by one unit is used by another, reducing dependence on the electricity grid and cutting individual energy costs. In the event of a power cut (a frequent occurrence during hurricanes) the system ensures the neighbourhood’s energy self-sufficiency for a limited period.

    The 45 m² (484 sq ft) base unit is designed for a single person or a couple. It includes a living area with an integrated kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom and a covered outdoor space sheltered from the elements. The layout is compact but not cramped: large openings to the east and west provide natural light and cross-ventilation, and the internal height is designed to create a feeling of spaciousness. If needs change (marriage, children) the system can be doubled: a second connected module is added, bringing the floor area to 90 m² with 2–3 bedrooms, without demolishing any part of the original unit.

    It depends on the context. For simple, repetitive geometries (standard rectangular-plan houses), traditional construction is already optimised and 3D printing offers no significant advantages. For complex geometries, in contexts with expensive or scarce labour, and for projects requiring rapid execution, 3D printing can reduce costs by 20–40% compared to traditional methods (benchmark from the literature on 3D printing in residential construction). First Stone combines all three of these factors: a non-rectangular aerodynamic form, a US context with high labour costs, and the need to build an entire residential neighbourhood quickly.

    In a hot, humid climate such as that of New Orleans, natural ventilation is the most effective bioclimatic strategy for comfort, more so than thermal insulation, which is a priority in cold climates. First Stone is oriented with its long sides facing east and west, where large openings capture the prevailing breezes and generate cross-ventilation throughout the entire unit. The wide eaves protect the openings from rain and direct sunlight without blocking the airflow. The compact shape of the building avoids dead corners where air might stagnate. During the hottest periods, natural ventilation does not eliminate the need for air conditioning but drastically reduces the number of hours it needs to run.

    Yes, and the concept has a solid foundation. The First Stone house (compact volume, 3D-printed building envelope, bioclimatic design, energy self-sufficiency) is consistent with the Mediterranean building tradition: compact white houses, solid walls, carefully proportioned openings, shading, and integration with the agricultural landscape. The original module, designed for the hot and humid climate of New Orleans, adapts easily to the hot and dry Mediterranean climate by modifying certain parameters: greater thermal inertia of the walls, more extensive solar shading devices on the south and west sides, and passive management of summer solar radiation. For BCA (a Bari-based practice specialising in Mediterranean sustainability) a southern variant of the project is a natural direction and has already been explored in dedicated renderings. The modular system also allows the dimensions of the units to be adapted to typical plots in Southern Italy, whilst retaining the cost and speed advantages of 3D printing. ---

    Are you looking for affordable and resilient housing solutions?

    If you work in social housing, affordable housing or resilient communities and would like to explore how 3D printing could change the economic equation of your project, we can share our research and assess specific applications.

    Send us your brief

    [Send your brief]

    Related projects

    3D-Printed Mosque – A 3D-printed mosque in Kuwait

    Sustainable Design

    3D-PRINTED MOSQUE

    A place of worship where additive manufacturing makes it possible to create complex vaulted surfaces at a sustainable cost, reinterpreting Islamic architecture using contemporary techniques

    Urban Dunes – 3D-printed bioclimatic design roof in Abu Dhabi

    Sustainable Design

    URBAN DUNES

    A 3D-printed desert sand structure that transforms a public space into a passively air-conditioned urban oasis.

    AETHERIUS – A modular pavilion 3D-printed using recycled stone aggregates

    3D Printed Design

    AETHERIUS

    An organic structure in which additive manufacturing transforms waste from the stone industry into architecture for the city.

    All 3D Printed Design projects

    Questo sito utilizza cookie tecnici e, previo consenso, cookie di profilazione per migliorare la tua esperienza. Puoi accettare o rifiutare l'uso dei cookie non essenziali. Informativa privacy