MELBOURNE, Fla., April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apis Cor, the company that 3D prints buildings, today announced the construction industry’s only Affordable Housing Cooperative Program (AHCP) for the design, development and production of low-cost, 3D-printed homes. Apis Cor, recognized for developing the first robots and equipment capable of 3D printing full-scale buildings completely on site, is launching the AHCP with Eden Village, SMASH, and VPG Enterprise. Planning and defining the cost requirements, environments, and community needs of each project has begun. AHCP partners will break ground and 3D-print their first homes in 2023.
“Affordable housing is a complex problem and it differs from city to city and state to state,” said Anna Cheniuntai, CEO and Co-Founder of Apis Cor. “We know 3D-printing technology can be adapted to satisfy a wide range of needs, environments and specific building design and cost requirements. We created a cooperative program to innovate and scale the construction of affordable 3D-printed houses to contribute to society.”
“We believe Apis Cor’s 3D-printing technology is the future of construction. Working with Apis Cor to design and develop a 3D-printed home that can be replicated makes it possible to provide a private home to a very needy person,” said Thomas Dalton, M.D., co-founder, Eden Village Wilmington, N.C. “We can build houses faster, at a much lower cost and with less waste. Furthermore, 3D printing opens the horizons for alternative and eco-friendly materials.”
Over the next five years, more than 4,100 new units are needed to meet growth in Wilmington, NC. University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Center for Housing and Community Studies reports ‘half of all rental households in the county are cost-burdened, meaning they pay a disproportionate share — 30% or more — of their income on housing.’
“Apis Cor’s novel 3D-printing technology and advanced materials are the future of construction,” said Michael Merideth, co-founder VPG Enterprises and VPG Construction. “A well-designed 3D printed home is resistant to environmental hazards that we deal with such as mold and is resilient to natural disasters we see happening on a more frequent basis.”
New Orleans will need to build 17,006 affordable units by 2029 to accommodate the city’s current population, according to the 2021 HousingNOLA annual report card.
“In a market where land is prohibitively expensive like Miami, and where there are limited funds for housing production, the 3D printing technology of a company like Apis Cor is the kind of market disruption that could finally provide conscious builders with the means to meet the extraordinary demand for affordable housing in the county,” added Madriz.
Miami-Dade Affordable Housing Framework states that Miami needs 215,000 new units of affordable housing by the year 2030.
“We are excited to provide people with the opportunity to join us in reimagining how construction works for affordable housing,” commented Cheniuntai. “We have a wealth of 3D-printing knowledge to offer our partners.”
About Eden Village, Wilmington, North Carolina
Eden Village of Wilmington, NC will be a 31-unit tiny home community specially designed to provide permanent homes for chronically homeless individuals including patients of a local hospital. Many patients of the medical center experience chronic illness, which are treatable but require consistent living circumstances to improve treatment results. www.edenvillagewilmington.org
About VPG Enterprise / VPG Construction
VPG Construction is a division of VPG Enterprise, a real estate development, construction and management group with a portfolio that includes over $12 million in residential real estate assets. VPG looks at creative development solutions around construction methods, deal structures and financing mechanisms to provide high quality housing in New Orleans. http://veriusgroup.com/
About SMASH-Miami
Struggle for Miami's Affordable and Sustainable Housing (SMASH) is a community land trust building power for housing justice to make housing a human right in Miami. Their leadership led to the Miami Housing Justice Agenda, a platform of values and policy proposals that, if adopted, would fulfill SMASH's vision for a Miami where housing is a human right and everyone has a home. The agenda's values and policies are the product of four years of community engagement, research and best practices and is the product of a coalition of different community organizations and policy experts including Miami Homes for All, The Greater Miami Housing Alliance, Florida International University Metropolitan Center, University of Florida Shimberg Center, City of Miami Connect Capital Initiative, Homes for All National, Grassroots Global Justice, Climate Justice Alliance, Indigenous Environmental Network and Gulf South Green New Deal. SMASH’s goal is to get 1.5 Million Miami-Dade residents (half the county population) to pledge their support to the Miami Housing Justice Agenda by the year 2030. https://smash.miami/
About Apis Cor
Founded in 2016 by Nikita and Anna Cheniuntai, Apis Cor is an American technology corporation headquartered in Melbourne, Florida that develops advanced technologies and materials for construction 3D-printing. The company holds the Guinness Book World Record for the Largest 3D-Printed Building on Earth and is proud to be a resident of the Autodesk Technology Centers Outsight Network. A successful participant in NASA's "3D Printed Habitat Challenge" – Apis Cor was awarded top honors in several categories. Apis Cor is backed by Alchemist Accelerator, the premier accelerator for Enterprise startups, and At One Ventures, a VC and private equity firm which supports deep tech ventures that are a net positive to nature and the planet. Learn more about 3D-printing construction technology at: www.Apis-Cor.com.
Media Contact:
Heidi Groshelle
Groshelle Communications
heidi@groshelle.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ef7a16af-fa02-42d2-9c32-5f2af95ceee0
