world's first 100% bio-based 3D-printed home in maine is built with sawdust and corn

BioHome3D from wood fibers and bio-resins

The University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) spearheaded building BioHome3D in Orono, Maine, the world’s first 3D-printed house made entirely with bio-based materials such as wood flour, or fine sawdust, mixed with a binder made from corn.

Layer by layer, the wooden home was 3D printed using an industrial polymer printer at the ASCC where the was little to no construction waste thanks to the precision of the printing process. The 600-square-foot residential prototype features 3D-printed floors, walls, and roofs from wood fibers and bio-resins, and the house is fully recyclable and highly insulated with 100% wood insulation.

images courtesy of the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC)

Stepping inside the residence, the warm and inviting sense greets the homeowners from the onset. Earth colors define the visual theme of the prototype with the lush wood encasing nearly the entire surroundings with its hushed-down hue and presence.

The 3D-printed wood bonds the walls and the ceilings and forms a sloping curve that shelters the homeowners. There is a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and a dedicated workspace that shares the sleeping area. The number of windows might not be generous, but the lighting inside might make up for that.

living room

equipped with thermal sensors for testing

BioHome3D is positioned on a foundation just outside the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center and equipped with thermal, environmental, and structural monitoring sensors to test how BioHome3D performs through frosty climates.

The gathered data can aid the researchers in tweaking the design and materials to allow for the production of future home designs that can adapt to weather changes. The entrance of BioHome3D comes through as a potential solution to the growing housing crisis and labor shortage that the state of Maine is facing.

Governor Janet Mills of Maine states that the University of Maine and its prototype can help address these serious challenges. ‘With its innovative BioHome3D, UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center is thinking creatively about how we can tackle our housing shortage, strengthen our forest products industry, and deliver people a safe place to live so they can contribute to our economy,’ says Mills. ‘While there is still more to be done, this development is a positive step forward.’

entrance to bedroom and bathroom

Making low-incomes homes possible

BioHome3D uses the kind of technology that can alleviate labor shortages and supply chain issues that are driving high costs and constricting the supply of affordable housing. As the University of Maine’s team puts it, there is less time required for on-site building and fitting up the home because of the automated manufacturing that takes place off-site.

By printing using abundant, renewable, locally sourced wood fiber feedstock and using the advanced manufacturing processes and materials developed at the university, relying on a non-sustainable supply chain can be reduced and make low-income homes in the future more accessible and possible while being suitable to their homeowners’ needs and desires for their spaces.

‘Importantly, as the manufacturing technology and materials production are scaled up, homebuyers can expect faster delivery schedules,’ the university writes. BioHome3D was developed with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hub and Spoke program between the UMaine and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Its partners include MaineHousing and the Maine Technology Institute.

bedroom