As housing costs skyrocket and the availability of affordable homes dwindles, millions of Americans are struggling to secure a place to live. To address this escalating crisis, builders are increasingly turning to innovative construction techniques that promise to speed up the building process, cut costs, and boost the housing supply. From 3D printing to modular homes and even hemp-based construction materials, these unconventional methods are paving the way for more affordable and sustainable housing solutions.

The shortage of both homes for sale and rental properties is one of the most pressing challenges facing the United States today. According to Adrianne Todman, former acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the lack of affordable housing can only be remedied through the adoption of more innovative construction practices. Todman pointed out that had we embraced these methods decades ago, the current housing crisis might have been less severe.

“I can only imagine what our housing situation would be like now if we could have made a decision to be more aggressive in adopting this type of housing decades ago,” Todman remarked.

One company leading the charge is Fading West, a homebuilding business based in Colorado. Fading West uses factory-built modular homes to address the housing shortage, constructing homes in a way that mirrors car production. In their facility, homes move down an assembly line, where walls, flooring, roofs, and even kitchen countertops are constructed step-by-step. The homes are nearly 90 percent complete before they are shrink-wrapped and shipped to their final destination, where they can be set up and ready for occupancy within just six weeks.

Eric Schaefer, Chief Business Development Officer at Fading West, emphasizes the efficiency of this approach. “You can build faster. The faster you build — even at a high quality — means the lower the price,” Schaefer said. “We see this as one of the pieces to the puzzle in helping solve the affordable housing crisis.”

In just over three years, Fading West has built more than 500 homes, with each one taking just five to seven days to construct, even during harsh winter months. This fast-paced, factory-driven construction method offers a significant opportunity to tackle the affordable housing shortage.

Beyond modular homes, builders are also experimenting with 3D printing technology to further expedite the housing process. Using a computer-controlled robotic arm, 3D printers can layer concrete to form walls that take shape quickly and even allow for curved designs that traditional construction methods cannot achieve.

Grant Hamel, CEO and co-founder of VeroTouch, sees immense potential in this technology. “It’s a long game, to start chipping away at those prices at every step of the construction process,” Hamel said. The idea of 3D-printed homes holds promise for reducing both labor costs and build time, but the technology faces several hurdles. The high cost of 3D printers and the need for skilled engineers and technicians to operate them make the process expensive. Additionally, because 3D-printed structures are not yet recognized by international building codes, builders face regulatory challenges.

Ali Memari, director of the Pennsylvania Housing Research Center, also highlighted the limitations of current 3D printing technology. “It’s a technology at its beginning,” Memari said. “It has room to grow, especially when it is recognized in code.” Currently, 3D printing is generally limited to single-story structures, unless combined with traditional construction methods.

One of the more unconventional, yet promising, alternatives is the use of hempcrete in construction. This material, which combines hemp with lime, creates a natural insulation that is both mold and fire-resistant. Hempcrete can serve as an outer wall, insulation, and inner wall all in one, offering a more sustainable alternative to traditional building materials.

Ali Memari, a professor at Penn State University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is researching ways to make hempcrete even more efficient by eliminating the need for wooden framing. Hemp has a significant advantage over traditional wood materials: it grows much faster. While trees can take decades to mature, hemp plants grow rapidly, with up to a million plants able to thrive on a single acre in just a few months.

“Unlike trees, which take years or even decades to mature, up to a million hemp plants can grow on a single acre within just a few months,” Memari explained. This fast-growing, sustainable crop makes hempcrete an attractive option for builders looking to reduce the environmental impact of construction and meet the demand for affordable housing.

As traditional housing markets continue to struggle with high costs and low supply, these innovative construction methods present exciting possibilities for tackling the housing crisis. Whether through modular homes, 3D printing, or sustainable materials like hempcrete, builders are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in home construction.

However, for these technologies to reach their full potential, continued research and investment are needed. From navigating regulatory hurdles to scaling production, these emerging techniques require more support to overcome challenges and meet the growing demand for affordable housing.

As we look to the future, embracing these new construction methods will be essential in solving the housing crisis and ensuring that more Americans can access safe, affordable, and sustainable homes.

By Impact Lab