Fireside Chat
3D Home Printing for the Developing World – Alexandria Lafci and Brett Hagler of New Story Charity
- New Story expects to complete a community of 3D-printed homes in El Salvador by Q1 or Q2 of 2019, following an Austin proof of concept and subsequent product development iterations to ensure the technology functions in remote areas without highly technical talent.
- The organization projects that 3D printing will reduce average home costs from $6,500 to approximately $3,000 and cut construction time from roughly 15 days to under 24 hours, with a goal of under 12 hours per home.
- Structural predictions include homes being three times stronger in compression strength than standard cement blocks and matching the durability of traditional housing regarding seismic and hurricane conditions, while utilizing local windows and fixtures to support manufacturers.
- Strategic goals involve scaling from 100 funded homes in 2015 to 800 in 2016, shifting from single-home construction to funding entire communities via an "Architects Program," and offering customizable designs like circular layouts to meet specific family needs.
- New Story plans to democratize this technology by sharing methodologies with governments and non-profits, potentially enabling adoption by entities such as the Mexican government to build tens of thousands of homes efficiently.
- Operational models include funding overhead through private donors to direct 100% of public donations to home building, maintaining a small vetted team culture, and using data collected six, 12, or 24 months post-move to drive continuous improvement.
- Outreach initiatives include a "her story" program to empower single mothers to connect with female leaders in the US, creative high-effort methods like custom wedding-style invitations, and leveraging YC networks to attract bold partners and funders.
- Founders anticipate that housing stability will increase family sleep by three to five hours and improve school attendance and health, though they identify the perception of homes as "unsafe science experiments" as a risk requiring significant education and safety proofing.
- The team intends to reverse-engineer goals from large numbers to determine necessary steps, applying a "fire a bullet before a cannonball" approach to test strategies like the Architects Program before full strategic shifts.
- Risks include potential hesitancy to adopt new technology, the challenge of proving safety to diverse stakeholders including governments and local architects, and the reliance on heavy vetting of local partners to ensure cultural fit and operational success.