Within the next 60 days, Malheur County will have the first Oregon house built using a new, non-traditional construction method: 3D printed concrete.

“We are basically helping to write the book on how 3D concrete home building is done in the state of Oregon, while also contributing to the industry as a whole,” Shawn McKay, chief executive officer of Layer Line 3D, said. “As more people become aware of the technology we are only seeing an increase in demand.”

Layer Line 3D in Ontario is one of about 50 homebuilders in the U.S. working to establish the new industry, McKay said. Layer Line 3D currently has more projects planned in Malheur County, as well as in John Day, Burns, and western Oregon and Idaho.

3D concrete printing is the process of pumping concrete and placing it with a large scale printer — Layer Line 3D uses a 35-feet by 50-feet printer. This printer operates on an x,y,z coordinate system and deposits layers of concrete in approximately 1-inch thick layers. The process is repeated until the object or structure being printed reaches its desired height, McKay said.

Originally, McKay said he got into 3D printing when he owned a construction company and machine shop, using small-scale 3D printers to prototype parts. In 2021, when John Day solicited bids for a 3D printed housing project, McKay was already doing work with the City.

“When the opportunity came up to bid on the job we were a natural fit,” he said. 

Layer Line 3D’s mission is to address the growing housing crisis in the United States, with a focus specifically in rural communities within the Pacific Northwest.

“It is well known that there is a severe housing shortage in our state and across the country,” McKay said. “The idea is to create housing for work-force, transitional for elderly and starter homes for new families or first-time home buyers.”

Along with addressing the challenge of affordable housing, McKay said 3D concrete printing also provides support for an aging construction worker population and government mandates to increase housing productivity.

“We need to use all of the tools in the toolbox to meet the challenges ahead of us,” he said.

Layer Line 3D offers a cost-attainable housing product that sells for “around the low $300,000s and below,” McKay said, with a range of floor plans from one to three bedrooms at sizes of 800 to 1,400 square feet.

When it comes to comparing traditional construction methods to 3D concrete printing, McKay said that there are “a lot of possible outcomes” in terms of cost and time, but their goals are to “produce homes faster and more affordably than traditionally constructed homes.”

Although McKay said there are challenges as an emergent technology in an established industry, they have spent “thousands of man hours to refine the large scale 3D printing process to what it is now.”

The biggest challenge of 3D concrete printing is inherent with any new technology, McKay said.

“There are no established protocols and so there is a lot of trial and error and figuring out not just what is the right-now solution, but what are the most cost-effective long-term solutions,” he said.

McKay added that most people are unfamiliar with 3D concrete printing in general, but the more people become aware of it and its benefits, he said, “the more we will see it as a regular part of the construction industry.”

Going forward, McKay’s goal is to see Layer Line 3D become an established home builder in Oregon, with multiple printers operating across the state.

“Providing any kind of housing is very rewarding in itself,” he said. “We are happy to be doing our part to bring an innovative solution to the housing crisis.”