Partners such as Richmond Metropolitan Area Homeowners' Haven ( Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity ), Virginia Housing, and Virginia Tech are exploring new construction technologies to support five affordable housing projects at Carter Square I ( Carter Place I ) in Henrico County.
Richmond, Virginia, September 29, 2026 / PRNewswire / -- Thanks to a unique affordable housing collaboration project, construction has begun on five 3D-printed homes at Ren's Home in East Henrico County. The groundbreaking ceremony for Ren's Home in the Richmond metropolitan area was held at Carter Square I. This project is a new community located near Richmond International Airport, at 1590 Darbytown Road, and will build five affordable single-family residences.
Virginia Housing provided a grant of $1.1 million for innovative demonstration projects, and based on this, the Virginia Tech Housing Research Center purchased a mobile 3D concrete printer equipped with a robotic arm, which is used to explore affordable construction technologies across Virginia. The Richmond Metropolitan Area's Renjia Home Foundation is collaborating with the following organizations to use this 3D printer for housing construction:
- Professors and graduate students from the Miles Lawson School of Architecture, the Housing Center, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech
- The Henryco County Affordable Housing Trust Fund, established by Henryco County, aims to expand opportunities for homeownership by reducing the cost of new housing construction and making it more accessible to first-time homebuyers.
- Headquartered in Houston, HiveASMBLD is an automated 3D printing construction company that assists in providing professional printing expertise.
- Indian 3D printing technology manufacturer Tvasta, which is also the manufacturer of the SIRA RC mobile printer used in this project.
- Williamsburg Builder Consultants LLC, responsible for construction, structural, and zoning permit consultations
3D printing is first carried out off-site, and then transferred to the site afterwards.
Throughout the fall, the project partners will use this printer to print on walls in a warehouse located at 3340 Lanvale Ave in Richmond, before moving on to the construction phase of the buildings.
Unlike traditional fixed 3D printing systems, this mobile technology provides project partners with the opportunity to evaluate different methods of housing production. When off-site printing is used, workers can print wall components in a controlled environment and transport the concrete walls to the construction site for final assembly. This approach may result in higher production efficiency and better quality control, while also reducing disruptions caused by weather conditions. According to plans, which are expected to be implemented later this year, printers manufactured by Tvasta will be able to directly print concrete walls at the construction site.
The Carter Square I project will provide partners with more real-world information about these emerging construction methods, including their advantages, limitations, and costs. The research component will help partners identify which methods are effective, recognize opportunities for improvement, and better understand how 3D printing technology can be applied and extended to future affordable housing developments.
What do the partners have to say?
We are excited about the potential role that Carter Square I project and 3D printed buildings can play in the future of affordable housing. Richmond Habitat has always been seeking innovative ways to build safe, durable, and affordable housing, and this project is a natural extension of that commitment. Through collaboration with Virginia Housing and Virginia Tech, we have an excellent opportunity to test new technologies while keeping our focus on the most important goal: creating opportunities for families to gain stability and hope through homeownership. We are honored to be part of this groundbreaking effort and look forward to seeing its impact on the community.
—— Matt Waring, Chief Operating Officer of Richmond Metropolitan Area's Renjia Home
“Virginia Housing is working to bring together various parties to advance innovative construction technologies, including affordable 3D-printed housing that can be replicated and scaled up in communities across Virginia. The Carter Square I project demonstrates how research, public and private investment, and strong collaboration can work together to address the challenge of affordable housing in Virginia.”
– Tammy Neale, Virginia Housing Chief Executives
3D printing allows us to build durable and strong concrete walls at a faster pace, using less skilled labor. This aligns with the practical methods of constructing affordable housing, as such housing often relies on non-profit organizations and volunteers. We are providing a guide on how Virginia can utilize this technology to build more affordable housing.
—— Dr. Andrew McCoy, Deputy Director of Research and Innovation at the Miles-Lawson School of Architecture at Virginia Tech, Director of the Virginia Housing Research Center, and Beliveau Professor in the Department of Construction Engineering
"We are working hard to translate the results from our laboratory into real-world applications by innovating new materials and establishing a set of testing requirements frameworks for quality control and assurance. We aim to ensure that 3D-printed housing in Virginia is safe and reliable."
—— Dr. Alexander Brand, Charles E at Virginia Tech. Via, Jr. Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chief Instructor at the Myers-Rawson School of Architecture, and Part-time Instructor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
About Henryco County Carter Plaza I Project
The Carter Square I project will provide partners with more real-world information about these emerging construction methods, including their advantages, limitations, and costs. The community is named after the late President Jimmy Carter to honor his decades of volunteer service at Habitat for Humanity, which helped bring international attention to the organization's mission. Henryco County is helping to make this new Carter Square I development project a reality locally by generously providing funding from its affordable housing trust fund.
Learning from Virginia's previous 3D printed housing projects
This latest project is built upon previous experience. Virginia Housing allocated a grant for innovation and demonstration in 2021 to support the construction of 3D-printed housing in Richmond City and James County.
About Richmond Metropolitan Area's Renjia Home
Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 and is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing safe and affordable housing opportunities around the world. Habitat for Humanity is a global non-profit housing organization that works in local communities across all 50 states of the United States and in about 70 countries. The Richmond metropolitan area chapter of Habitat for Humanity began its work in affordable housing in 1986, serving the cities of Richmond, Henry County, and Chesterfield County. Since then, Richmond Habitat, we have built 400 units of housing for local families. Together with our homeowners, generous volunteers, and donors, we have restored the hope and dignity that often get stripped away by poor housing conditions. For more information, please visit RichmondHabitat.org.
About Virginia Housing
Virginia Housing transforms the lives and ways of thousands of Virginians by investing in the power of "home," enhancing communities and economies. For over 50 years, Virginia Housing has been collaborating with both public and private sectors to help Virginians access quality, affordable housing. Virginia Housing does not accept funds from state taxpayers; instead, it raises capital through financial markets to provide mortgages for first-time homebuyers, finance rental development projects, and support community revitalization efforts. Virginia Housing invests in innovative affordable housing solutions to make homes more suitable for people with disabilities and older Virginians. For more information, please visit VirginiaHousing.com and review our latest annual report.
About the Virginia Tech Housing Research Center ( VCHR )
The mission of VCHR is to serve as an interdisciplinary research and information resource in the field of housing in Virginia. To this end, VCHR provides housing-related research for local governments, state governments, federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and for-profit enterprises. For more information, please visit their official website.
About the Henryko Affordable Housing Trust Fund
The Affordable Housing Trust Fund was established in 2024 with the aim of expanding affordable housing options for first-time homebuyers in Henrico County. Its purpose is to increase the accessibility of affordable housing by reducing the purchase price of newly built homes. The fund utilizes taxes paid by new data centers to lower the cost of purchasing these homes, allowing buyers who might otherwise be excluded from the current market to afford their own homes.
About Tvasta
Tvasta is a deep-tech startup that develops industrial 3D printing solutions. Our goal is to bring architecture and manufacturing into a new future driven by technology. We believe that enhancing productivity, customization, and sustainability through the next generation of automation and digitalization is key to achieving rapid growth and will propel various industries to quickly move towards the next "new" frontier. Tvasta.Construction
About HiveASMBLD
HiveASMBLD is a leading company in the 3D printed concrete construction and technology industry, headquartered in Houston, Texas, specializing in the construction of 3D printed prefabricated residences. HiveASMBLD.com
