Affordable housing is not a luxury, it’s a basic need.
University of Idaho is developing technology to make housing more affordable nationwide by using Idaho wood waste to make one of the most sustainable building construction materials on the market. They’re combining sawdust and other wood byproducts with bio-based glue to create a medium for 3D-printing buildings and stackable bricks.
The interdisciplinary project, known as PrinTimber, is expected to positively impact Idaho’s fast-growing construction industry. The colleges of Engineering, Natural Resources and Art and Architecture are partnering with Auburn University on the project.
Mallory Bermensolo (Master of Architecture student) is part of the Cradle-to-Cradle Design team, one of the four teams in this interjurisdictional and interdisciplinary National Science Foundation (NSF) funded grant nicknamed "PrinTimber," led by Principal Investigator Michael Maughan (University of Idaho College of Engineering).
The four teams in this grant are: Resin Team (Auburn University), Printer Team (U of I), Performance Team (U of I) and Cradle-to-Cradle Design Team (U of I). These teams have various colleges involved at each university. Specifically, the Cradle-to-Cradle Design Team has three faculty members from the Architecture Department including the Director of the Integrated Design Lab (IDL).
Funding for this project provided by the National Science Foundation Award Number 21198099.