What is Innovation?

Innovation is an academic, multidisciplinary field of study for developing groundbreaking ideas, solutions, processes, products, and services. Below are a couple of innovative solutions. And below are some examples.

Field: Construction

Problem: Freddie Mac projects a major deficit of single-family homes in the USA--especially in the lower to affordable price range. (Source: https://lnkd.in/gFghWxAh)

Challenges: (1) obtaining materials in a timely fashion (mainly, due to supply-chain bottlenecks during the pandemic); (2) difficulty in recruiting, hiring, and retaining skilled workers (trades labor); (3) lack of affordable land near the city centers; (4) regulatory issues; (5) capital needed; and (6) risks associated with uncertainty, among other factors.

Opportunity: To quickly build sustainable (economically and environmentally) houses---more inexpensively and with considerably less waste.

Solution: Build less expensive (and durable) 3-D printed houses using concrete framing.

Innovator: ICON (partnership with construction developers, like Lennar) can build house walls using semi-automated 3-D printing technology. Essentially, the machine places fresh concrete
in layers. And, since the machine work with curved walls, designers can be a bit creative.

Innovation Kudos:

> Mexico (Échale) & USA (ICON) Collaboration: "3D Printed Housing for Those Who Need It Most": Check: https://lnkd.in/gAGybMzZ

> Germany (Mense-Korte/Hous3DRuck): https://www.mense-korte.de

#innovation #collaboration #concrete #sustainable #housing #technolgy