Alquist 3D, a 3D-printing construction company that builds homes, buildings, and other structures, is teaming up with Greeley, Colorado, to create new sustainable building infrastructure and housing stock.
The 3D-printed buildings and infrastructure will provide an affordable alternative to traditional buildings as well as lower greenhouse gas emissions. Alquist 3D is receiving over $4 million in support and incentives from Greeley and the state.
The partnership will help Colorado address its housing problem by leveraging 3D home printing to rapidly build new houses and add new housing stock across price points. There are several benefits to 3D home printing, including speed, sustainability, climate resilience, affordability, and ease of maintenance.
"Homeowners crave innovation that makes their lives easier," Alquist Founder and Chairman Zachary Mannheimer said in a statement. "Alquist 3D has innovation in its DNA. The work we will be doing in Colorado, particularly in Greeley, will take that innovation to a whole new level."
Alquist is working with Greeley, and Aims Community College, located in Greeley, to create new housing solutions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment, which contributes approximately 40% of greenhouse gas emissions globally.
Specifically, Alquist is partnering with Aims’ existing robotics program where students will be learning how to actually build the giant robots used for 3D printing. Aims students will also receive training as part of the project, and the collaboration will create an economic ecosystem with an emphasis on innovation and workforce development. The company will also recruit some of its talent from the college's 3D-printing certificate program, which is a weeks-long workforce development process that teaches students to run the robotic 3D printer and control its software.
Alquist said its project offers a carbon-negative 3D-printing material, big reductions in waste and water usage compared to traditional stick-built construction, as well as storm- and fire-resistant building designs and materials.
As part of the deal, Alquist is moving its headquarters from Iowa City, Iowa, to Greeley, where it will begin robotically printing 3D structures. The company’s first project will be 3D printing infrastructure for the city of Greeley.
This includes curb systems with integrated drainage. It will be printed at Aims Community College and trucked to installation sites chosen by the city, according to the announcement. The infrastructure will be modular, meaning the city can replace worn-out sections with 3D-printed components.
In addition to building infrastructure through 3D printing, Alquist is also working with Greeley-Weld Habitat for Humanity in a home-printing contract to produce at least 100 of the nearly 500 structures planned along the border of Greeley and Evans, Colorado. The housing plan is known as the Hope Springs project.
"Colorado is committed to building a house for every budget, and we are thrilled Alquist 3D has selected Greeley for their expansion,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. “They will create 79 new good-paying jobs in our state and help lower construction costs for housing and infrastructure.”
Work is planned to start as early as the fall of 2023, Alquist said. To complete the project, Alquist has contracted with robotic construction company RIC Technologies in a licensing agreement. The two companies will work together to test and enhance 3D printing technology, materials, and processes.
The full funding for the project includes a nearly $1.1 million Job Growth Incentive Tax Credit from Colorado over eight years for the creation of 79 new jobs. Plus, Colorado is providing a Strategic Fund Incentive for $335,000 over a five-year period for the creation of up to 67 net new jobs.
Greeley is investing $2.85 million, including an upfront forgivable loan contingent on Alquist's relocation of its headquarters to the city and the company's commitment to stay at least five years. Of that amount, $2 million is tied to Alquist's purchase of equipment, staffing, and construction in Greeley. The city is also providing $100,000 in relocation expenses to Alquist.
"We're excited to have a home where all the pieces of the puzzle to commercialize this industry are coming together," Mannheimer said. "We're thankful to Colorado for sharing in this vision, and to Greeley for its courage and hard work throughout this process. It takes a lot of guts for a municipality to go all in on a new technology."
