Bay Alarm Partners With Habitat For Humanity on 3D-Printed Home Project
Habitat for Humanity is building a first-of-its-kind 3D-printed home in Tempe, Arizona, as part of their effort to solve the affordable housing crisis in Arizona—and Bay Alarm Company is proud to lend a helping hand!
Habitat for Humanity is one of the most prominent nonprofit organizations in the United States. Now operating in more than 75 countries, the organization builds, rehabilitates, and preserves homes for those who need housing most.
As housing prices continue to rise, many Americans are being priced out of home ownership. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of construction materials soared, making it even more difficult for those in need to access affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity responded by seeking out new, innovative ways to bridge this gap and quickly identified 3D printing as a possible solution.
After 18 months of planning, coordination with the city of Tempe, and construction, a local Tempe family who had previously struggled to find affordable housing will soon call the 3D home their own. Bay Alarm Company partnered with Habitat for Humanity to secure the site by providing security agent services when construction crews were not on site. And we couldn’t be more excited for the completion of the home in late 2021, as we will install a state-of-the-art home security system for the new homeowners!
Affordable housing is a real and concerning issue, especially in Arizona, and Habitat for Humanity wants to help solve it.
Affordable housing—defined as housing that costs a household less than 30% of its total income—is in short supply in the United States. In 2019, more than 37 million households spent more than 30% of their income on housing. Worse yet, nearly 18 million spent 50% or more of their income on housing.
In Arizona, the housing crisis affects hundreds of thousands of residents. According to recent reports, Arizona needs 200,000 affordable homes to curtail its current shortage.
Habitat for Humanity’s 3D home project in Tempe is an innovative solution to a worsening crisis. The organization hopes that this project will serve as a template for finding new ways to lower building costs while reducing waste and improving energy efficiency. About 70%-80% of the home will be 3D-printed, with the remaining part built from typical building materials, including metal and wood.
If successful, Habitat for Humanity and the City of Tempe hope to scale their 3D printing efforts and build more homes in the near future.
Bay Alarm is proud to be a part of such an innovative project that will make a difference in the communities we serve.
Bay Alarm jumped at the opportunity to help in this construction project. We provided security agent patrol services at the construction site for eight weeks during the build.
Security is essential for any construction site. On this site, PERI, a German-based company, loaned a massive and highly sophisticated 3D printer to build the home. Our security agent team was vigilant in securing the construction site and all equipment used in the project.
To document the construction progress, we also installed video equipment at the site to record a time lapse of the build. Digital Watchdog, one of our valued partners, generously donated the equipment. We can’t wait to watch and share videos of the 3D printing from beginning to end!
At the July 15th, 2021, ribbon-cutting ceremony publicly unveiling the project, our Phoenix Branch Manager Tom Donahue and Installation Manager Dave Otjens represented Bay Alarm.
Our next phase of this project will begin when the construction of the home is complete. Bay Alarm’s local Phoenix office will install a home security system featuring our advanced burglar alarm system, security cameras, and smart home technology. We are pleased to secure this special 3D printed home and bring peace of mind to the new homeowners.
We hope to install security equipment in future 3D printed houses, as we have had the chance to see just how impactful this new construction technology can be in providing affordable housing.
