Apis Cor and VPG Enterprise Announce Partnership to Design, Develop and 3D Print Affordable Homes in New Orleans

Solving housing issues with new, cutting-edge technology

MELBOURNE, Fla. and NEW ORLEANS (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apis Cor, the company that prints buildings, and VPG Enterprise, a leading developer of affordable and workforce housing, announced their partnership to 3D-print homes in the greater New Orleans area. As partners, Apis Cor and VPG are designing 3D-printable houses that can be reproduced quickly and at affordable prices. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2023.

“There’s really no other way to attack the affordable housing shortage other than construction costs. There’s not enough subsidy, there’s not enough soft dollars and there’s not enough cheap land in New Orleans to support the housing needs of our community,” said Michael Merideth, co-founder VPG Enterprises and VPG Construction. “In a market like New Orleans, no matter how much we value engineered, we could not make the acquisition and rehab numbers work.”

The cost of the finished home can be up to 30% less than traditionally built concrete block or wood framed houses.

“Apis Cor’s novel 3D-printing technology and advanced materials are the future of construction,” added Merideth. “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.”

“In addition to the fact that 3D-printing makes building houses faster and cheaper, it also provides the flexibility to meet specific project criteria,” said Anna Cheniuntai, co-founder and CEO, Apis Cor. “VPG’s choice to introduce 3D-printing into the construction of their communities gives us the opportunity to innovate the end product and enrich people’s lives, not just expedite wall printing.”

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.

3D printing technology can help to fill the growing gap for new houses worldwide and help people in need of affordable housing to actually purchase a home of their own.

Apis Cor Affordable Housing Cooperative Housing Program
Apis Cor launched the industry’s first Affordable Housing Cooperative Program (AHCP) to work with nonprofits and affordable housing companies to develop and build 3D printed homes. Apis Cor and its AHCP Partners design spec houses that fit the organization’s distinct requirements of price, sq.footage, floor plan, finishes and other factors. Once construction costs are validated and a long-term plan to replicate and scale the solutions is created, onsite 3D-printing will begin.